A Ghostly Cry
by P.A.W.07
Summary: Danny loses everyone he loves when they are murdered leaving him to be taken in by his godfather who is none other then Vlad Masters. How will they survive each other and the vengeful demon? Father son thing. Gore, humor, tearjerker. Currently being re-written. Thirty chapters total.
1. Flames of Hades

Summary: Danny loses everyone he loves when they are murdered leaving him to be taken in by his godfather who is none other then Vlad Masters. How will they survive each other and the vengeful demon? Father son thing. Gore, humor, tearjerker. Under revision.

Rating: Older Teen … because this story has some gory scenes and I stress gory.

Disclaimer: If only, if only, the plot bunny sings.

Image: 'DP: Plasmius's Flame' by Paw07 (Me)

…

Welcome to a most haunting dream,

Like ghostly memories.

…

Chapter 1: Flames of Hades

_Happiness …_

Her eyes seemed to flash, and the light of the sun danced upon her soft orbs as if they were droplets of water. Danny couldn't help but blush as his eyes were caught in Sam's, reflecting each other in their orbed pools. With a nervous grin, he slowly inched a little closer to her on the bench and placed his quivering hand upon hers. Sam's blush only grew warmer as she drew near to him as well.

_Somehow he had finally grasped it that spring under the falling apple blossoms …_

The apple tree flower petals danced in the air as a breeze kissed the tree in which they sat beneath. Sam's hair blew in the wind, in an enchanting way, and Danny slowly leaned forward, capturing her lips in his own. It tasted like forever… he was sure that this happiness he felt in his heart would last forever as long as he could sit beneath the falling petals with Sam.

_But, as with all happiness, it could never last forever._

…

"Danny!" called Jack as he walked through the Fenton house like a towering gorilla, his orange jumpsuit seemingly clashing with the rest of the colors in the room. "Where did you go?"

Jazz look up from her Physiology books and sighed, her hair falling over her shoulders. Danny was out late again chasing ghosts. Of course, she would never tell her ghost-hunting-happy-parents that. The red head tapped her fingernails on the table for a moment in thought. She needed a lie, but that was going against her morals. The girl bit her lip … she could tell the truth and just omit parts though.

"He's with Sam and Tucker; probably studying," Jazz stated with a smile. She loved her occasional bouts of slightly sinister behavior, but she'd keep that to herself. She was trying to shape herself into a prime example of a good citizen so she couldn't give off the impression that she was an improper peer.

"Well that's nice," Maddie said as she entered the kitchen carrying a machine that looked oddly like Jazz's old hair dryer. A vein nearly burst in the teenager's forehead as she tried to hold her tongue. She just got that one! The girl took a deep breath; trying to find her calm place … she'd just get a new one.

"Studying will have to wait," Jack bellowed, his pointing his finger to the sky in proclamation. "We have ghost hunting to do."

"Jack, can't it wait?" complained Maddie with a soft frown. She knew that Danny was failing science, and he could really use the study time. How was he supposed to carry on the family business if he didn't excel in the necessities? The poor mother sighed as she laid her newest invention on the table. Sometimes she wondered about the men in her life. Was Danny doomed to be an idiot just like her husband? An adorable idiot, mind you, but an idiot just the same.

"No!" cried Jack as he ran into the next room ready to grabbed the _infectious_ book from his son's hands … if his son was in the next room, that is. It didn't take him long to finally realize he had no idea where his son was so he peered back into the kitchen meekly holding an expression that look surprisingly similar to that of a kicked puppy. "Um, Maddie where's the Fenton Phone?"

"Where it always is," Maddie smiled at her husband and was about to turn away, but Jack was still standing there with 'the look' still plastered on his face. The woman giggled and pointed in the general direction.

"On the wall dear," cooed Maddie as she readied herself to head down to the lab. She really did love that stupid man, but she could drool over him tonight. She had just found an uncharted section of the ghost zone and really couldn't wait to check it out.

Jazz just rolled her eyes as she watched her parents peck each other on the cheek before wandering in opposite directions, leaving the room silent once more. What her mother saw in him she'd _never_ know. She could only hope that the saying wasn't true when she started dating: Every girl marries her father. Physiology was a bit too painful sometimes.

…

That kiss ... it was so wonderful that Danny really didn't want to pull out of it, but he really had to breathe, so he finally did. The two teenagers laughed slightly and were about to kiss once more when a cry echoed into their world of passion, thrusting them into the real world once again.

"Save me!"

Danny and Sam were apart so fast that the word 'light speed' seemed slow, and just in time too. There was the cracking noise of torn through bushes, and Tucker suddenly jumped over the back of bench like a scared deer over a fence. He quivered there for a moment, his glasses hanging off one ear, simply looking from side to side in a panicked way.

The ghost teenager's eye twitched and he used his pointer finger to lure Tucker forward. The geek did so without a second thought, nearly yelping when Danny dragged him down by the front of his shirt, growling into his ear in a whispering tone, "Oh, you're so going to need saving when I'm done with you."

Tucker raised an eyebrow, a grin forming on his lips. The two of them thought he didn't know about their relationship. Please, not only was it a high school rumor, he had also been hacking into their emails for the past two years; how couldn't he know?

"What?" stated the computer nerd in a whispered, mocking tone as he straightened his glasses, completely forgetting he had been chased here. "Were you trying to finally get a smooch from Sam?"

Danny twitched, an embarrassed squeak buried behind his lips. How did Tucker know? "N-no! Why would I be doing that to h-her. She's like a sister. I-I mean a hot sister … No, not a sister! More like a friend that I would…"

Tucker rolled his eyes. Ah, the confession was always the hard part, but he'd torture Danny about that another day. He had bigger fish to fry… a fish with plasma guns to be exact.

"Um … Danny," entered Sam's voice, her blush disappearing as her gaze fell onto the horizon. And here she thought this situation couldn't get any worse.

"I'd hate to interrupt you and Tucker's whispering, which is probably about me, but … RUN!" cried Sam as she jumped off the bench, barely dodging one of Skulker's nets as her body disappeared behind the apple tree. Yet, it seems the hunter had already calibrated that move, and the net slammed full force into the tree, knocking off millions of beautiful, white petals with a mixture of brown splintered tree bark.

It didn't take long for the girl to pop her head out of her hiding place and growl at the grinning spirit that was floating a few feet above them, jet pack growling. Somehow she resisted the urge to throw her spiky shoe at the hunter's head. This was just getting stupid! Every time she and Danny had some alone time either a ghost or Tucker interrupted them, or in this situation, both!

Danny threw a plank from the bench off of the top of his bruised body, now knocked to the ground. Well, there went his and Sam's favorite bench. The teenager rubbed some ash out of his eyes and bared his teeth as he stared at the perpetrator of his sanctuary. Skulker. Crazing, obsessed, Skulker. Wonderful. And what was he looking at? Danny quickly followed the hunter's devious gaze. For a moment, he watched Sam and how the petals fell around her and to the ground in a mournful way. Why was he always being interrupted? Was the world mocking him?

The teenager turned his gaze back towards the _departed one_ and in a flash of white light he was the infamous Danny Phantom, ushered in by a collection of falling petals. Quickly, he pointed an enraged finger up at the spirit, unknowingly making a hero pose.

"Hey, it's me you're after isn't it? Now eat plasma blasts," Danny hissed as he threw a plasma blast, hitting Skulker straight in the chest. The sound of cracking metal could be heard throughout the park as the ghost was slammed into the ground below, throwing clumps of dirt everywhere as he slid to a halt. The teenager stared stupidly for a moment … he wasn't even aiming. It was just blind rage.

The ghost sat in his hole in the earth for a moment gathering his composure until he was able to rebuked, "Irritating, little whelp; I wasn't ready."

Skulker then clutched his iron chest and slowly pulled himself out of the dirt. He quickly dusted himself off as if he had all the time in the world and jumped into the air, jet pack wheezing. He couldn't help but smile, even though he had already taken a hit. Danny Phantom was his favorite prey to hunt, and he seemed to be in an aggressive mood today. Mating season did that he supposed. Yet, just because he was his favorite prey didn't mean he was going to go easy on him. The huntsman turned his jetpacks on to full speed, and before the teenager could even blink, Skulker made a full onslaught attack towards the phantom boy.

"Time to die prey!"

Before the ghost could even slam his fist into ghostly flesh though, a seemingly divine intervention presented itself: the ringing of a phone stalled his onslaught and the entire scene froze as if someone had just pushed a pause button. The hunter stopped in midair and pulled out a cell phone; the three humans all simultaneously did the same thing, checking to see if it was their phone.

"Is that me?" Danny stammered as he fumbled to de-ghost his pants in order to get his cell phone.

"I think it's my planner!" chirped Tucker excitedly as he jumped from his hiding place behind a tree, cap smoking. He had just got it yesterday and was dying to use it.

"It might be my new camera phone," stated the girl in a rather drawl voice. She really didn't want the stupid thing in the first place. Her parents just had too much money and bought her one anyway; she swore there was a tracking device in it.

"Hello?" The group echoed in a chorus as they all answered their phones at the same time.

"Not me," Sam answered as she slammed her camera phone shut and stuffed it into her pocket as quickly as she possibly could. If anyone saw that expensive thing they'd know she was born into money. The last thing she needed was Dash hitting on her. She cringed at the thought and resisted the urge to throw up in her throat.

"Ah man!" Whined Tucker as he stared at the screen. He really needed to get some more friends so that he'd have plenty of calls, but that could wait till later. Skulker looked a bit to ecstatic about the whole fighting thing and the teenager's hiding place might be revealed if he didn't move fast. Yes, Tucker knew he was a cowered and he didn't give a frick.

"Hello," answered Skulker in confused sort of way as if having his cell phone ring was extremely strange. The ghost frowned as an annoying voice echoed in his ear, "No, this is Skulker. How did you get this number? What! Ok! You don't have to yell … just a minute?"

Skulker stared at Danny for a moment as if trying to decide if the teenager was too diseased to touch his cell phone. Then, despite his seemingly germ-phobia, he thrust the phone into Danny's chest hoping it would leave a bruise, "It's for you."

The teenager gasped for breath as he pulled the object out of his gut. _Mean bastard. _But that was the least of his problems. The teenager ran his tongue over his teeth and stared at the gleaming silver phone. Who was on the phone? Was it Plasmius? No, that vampire wanna-be would want to brag in person. Danny wearily put the phone to his ear praying it wasn't a trap, "Hello?"

"Danny! Is that you?" Danny jumped in shock as Jack's voice screamed over the receiver. His dad sounded excited. Had he been drinking coffee again?

"Dad? How did you get this number?" Danny questioned as he turned away from the ghost who had leaned over his shoulder, trying to overhear his conversation. The teenager hissed at the ghost and tried to have his conversation in peace. There was nothing more irritating then a snoopy ghost.

"I don't know… but that's unimportant! Get over to the Fenton portal ASAP! You're going to flip when you see what we found," Jack cowed in a happy tune. Danny was now positive that his father was jumping up and down right now, and it disturbed him. Why couldn't he have normal, boring parents?

The teenager sighed when he finally realized that he wouldn't be getting his fight with Skulker today. With a whimper he gave the phone back to the hunter who was cracking his fingers ready to restart their battle, "Ready, whelp?"

"Sorry, Skulker. We'll have to do this another time," Danny stated as he started to float away. He really wanted to beat the crap out of something, so he could get over the anxiety of having his date interrupted. Well, it seemed it wouldn't be the hunter tonight, but, if he was lucky, something else would make its presence known.

The ghost lost the smile that had been plastered on his face as he watched the ghost child change into his regular form, land on the grass with a grunt, and walk over to his friends, paying no more mind to him.

"Fine, ghost child. Another time. I wanted to practice cooking that casserole anyway," Skulker growled, turning on his jet pack and flew away, a stream of smoke following after. There was always tomorrow… wait, he had that music lesson. Not that he could play worth a damn, but hell … that hot guitarist femme was there and she liked men that knew how to fight, play and cook. He was willing to take a few hits to his masculinity for her.

Sam watched the ghost fly away and then stated sarcastically, "I don't know what's more disturbing: you letting Skulker go or the fact that Skulker knows how to cook a casserole."

…

The three teenagers stopped dead in their tracts as they stared up at the Fenton house. Now, they had all seen the Fenton house more times then they wished to count … but there was something off today. It was as if an ominous cloud had befallen the house, darken windows included. Tucker was even sure he had seen lightning flash in the background along with a malevolent cackle; Sam and Danny ignored him. It was just normal Tuck behavior for as far as they were concerned.

"Um … Danny?" someone finally decided to trod over the silence. "When did your house become a dungeon?"

Danny just rolled his eyes and opened the front door, trying not to twitch as the door inched open with an echoing squeak; Tucker's sarcasm could be so irritating, but now his paranoia was getting to him due to the comment. If there was anything, his ghost sense would inform him, yet, when the door swung completely open, hitting the teenagers with a cold burst of air, goose bumps rose on his arm. It was dark inside and not a sound was to be heard, not even the creak of settling wood. There was something wrong here.

"Hello?" whispered Danny as he stood on the threshold of the front door. He was kind of afraid to step inside. The whole house was incased in darkness like the plot to a bad horror movie. The teenager was rather positive that horror movie theme music was going to start playing at any moment … all they need was for Sam to play the part of the blonde bimbo and they'd be good to go.

"Let's go in," whispered Tucker as well, feeling slightly impatient. If they were going to be killed by some horrible monster they just as well's get it over with. He had a techno geek meeting tonight, and he'd rather be dead then late. He might have been a coward, but he always had his priorities in order thanks to his handy dandy electric handheld. The teenager took one last look at his priorities list on his handheld, put it in his backpack, and started acting afraid. It was best to be in character if he was going to end up dead.

Sam rolled her eyes as she watched Tucker start his act. Boys were such cowards.

"Why are we whispering?" Sam asked as she pushed Tucker forward into the house. He was being really irritating today and if they were going to die, he was going to be the first to go. The techno geek screeched like a girl as he fell on the floor, scattering his electronics all over the floor like cockroaches from the light.

"Yah! Why are we whispering?" murmured Danny in a rather loud voice. Yet, his voice caught, in sudden regret as there was a sudden shift in the shadows … something had heard them. Danny swallowed; him and his big mouth. Soon, there was an explosion of footsteps as a towering figure emerged out of the darkness. Its huge grotesque eyes glimmering in the dimness of the shadows as it loomed over the teenagers like a beast ready to devour them.

"No! I'm too beautiful to die!" echoed over the room as Tucker jumped behind Sam in a rather cowardly way, giving her a slight push forward.

"Ladies first," Sam was only allowed a yelp of surprise as she struggled not to fall. He was so dead if she survived this.

Danny was stupefied for a moment as Sam fell into the shadows and into the figure's arms. For a second he thought she was going to be spurting red, but when no such event occurred Danny quickly regained his composer and claimed his usual position, crying, "Don't you touch her! I'm going gho…"

"Why are you guys screaming like a bunch of bad teen actors?" mocked the figure in the shadows as it shifted its head in a questioning manner.

Danny managed to stop his transformation just in time, the light dying at his feet. He knew that voice; that irritating tone. He knew it somewhere. The teenager mentally slapped himself. How could he forget that voice when it was always yelling at him? "Jazz? Why the hell are you hiding in the dark?"

Jazz stepped into the light and pulled off a pair of goggles, throwing a hard glare at Danny, "Don't swear," Danny gave a bewildered look and her frown quickly turned into a short laugh, "What? I don't look that scary do I?"

The girl then motioned to the jumpsuit she was wearing. It strangely resembled mom's uniform, yet the real oddity was that she was even in it. Was this really Jazz? She didn't believe in ghosts, so why was she wearing a hunters' uniform?

"When my heart stopped beating was the first sign!" mocked Tucker as he rose from behind his human shield, Danny. He straightened his glasses and grinned when he saw the look on Jazz's face. He loved pissing her off … she was so cute when she was mad. Of course, he'd never tell anyone he had the hots for Danny's sister. He'd die of embarrassment … plus, Danny might kill him.

"Did you just call me scary?" Jazz felt a blush rise to her cheeks. She was an angel! The madwoman pulled out her fist, threatening Tucker with it.

Tucker merely tried not to drool at the insult; she was so beautiful when she was mad. Like an angel.

Sensing danger, Danny quickly reacted. The last thing they needed was a blood bath in the living room. He just knew that he'd end up being the one cleaning out of the carpet. "So where is everyone, and why is the house so … dark?"

Jazz forgot her anger as excitement took over her features, "Oh, yah! Mom and dad found something in the ghost zone, and it's taking all of the house's energy to keep it open. It's beautiful Danny. You should see it."

The sister used her hand to lure the younger beings forward as she excitedly skipped down the stairs to the lab humming slightly.

"I doubt anything that comes from the ghost zone is beautiful," joked Tucker behind Jazz's back, a gleam in his eye as he followed close behind. She was so lovely when she hummed; she had the voice of a cherub. God, how long could he silently sit by watching this beauty? He wanted to fall to his knees and proclaim his love through a worldwide computer virus, which would turn everyone's desktop into 'I love Jazz'.

Danny watched Tucker drool for a moment as he started down the steps as well. Tucker had been doing that a lot lately, mostly when he was around Jazz. It must be an allergic reaction to Jazz's perfume or something. She did wear something awful … at least he thought so.

…

Tucker was gravely mistaken. Where the ghost portal usually dwelled hovered a huge orb of soft white light, which folded in on itself in a technical dance of light. It was like looking into a miniature sun … minus the going blind part. There was also a soft humming which could be heard and felt throughout the room as smaller ghostly orbs circled the enchanting ball of light. Danny's ghost sense reacted immediately, causing a chill to run through his entire body. Danny grabbed at his arms, hugging himself as he glared at the false flower. This thing might have been beautiful, but it was dangerous.

"Dad," questioned Danny as he tried to still his shaking arms, "How did you find this? It seems dangerous."

The closer he got to it, the stronger the feeling of rage became. It was as if something had been drowned in that thing; its rage seeping into the very air.

Jack looked at his boy with a shocked expression for a moment. He was not as blind as everyone though him … or as dumb; his mind just wandered, that was all. Yet, his mind didn't wander all the time, and he noticed a change in his only son. He wasn't sure when it had started, but his boy seemed braver in the face of danger. He also no longer pouted about having to go down into the lab. It seemed his son had learned the laws of mortality … all things died, so one should be wary and love thy family, for you don't have forever. The man smiled and patted his boy on the shoulder. It seemed he had learned the lesson that separated men from fathers; it was a lesson that every boy had to learn on his own or not at all, "Don't worry son. You'll do fine."

Danny gave him a confused look, but Jack shrugged it off, his mind wandering back to his experiment, "Here, let me show you what I've found!"

Jack patted his son on the shoulder once more and walked up to the ball of light, slowly reaching a hand out towards one of the small orbs that circled around it. Danny's heart nearly stopped as he watched the small ball of light pass through his father's hand like a tiny spirit.

"See Danny, nothing happened," Jack smiled down at his son. He was a genius. Yah, he really didn't know what would have happened, but everything was just fine. Nothing bad had occurred.

He was gravely mistaken …

Everyone jumped as the orb seemed to throw out a wave of light, making every test tube in the room rattle. The inhabitants stared in awe as the fog-ish light then started to dim, revealing that the huge orb was actually hollow and that there was something else inside. An impressed sound escaped Jazz when the light finally revealed that there was a golden box, the size of a shoebox, inside. It glimmered like new molted gold, taunting the humans to come nearer. It was easy to say that no one could look away from the haunting object … not even Danny, and then there was a click. There was a lock on the golden box and the latch had slid upward, allowing the top to be opened. Slowly, the lid started too lifted without any assistance. There was a stillness for a moment as if the world had stopped to witness the opening of this box. Then, if only to disturb the silence, a ghostly voice rang outward making the room jump.

"_Who Releases Me Onto The World Once More_? _I'll Bring You War And Nothing More."_

A twitch escaped Danny, like all his ghost powers had just tried to shy away from the voice. The human's hands became fists as dread set in his stomach. Just what he needed: another ghost. Danny threw a quick glance around the room. Everyone was still entranced, but before Danny could jump behind the nearby table and go-ghost, the box burst open completely. It spilled out flames as if it were a liquid from the sea. There was only enough time to capture a shocked breath, and what remained of the orb caught a-flame and exploded forth into the room like a tiny Christmas orb shattering. The inhabitants of the room screamed in surprise as they all tried to jump backwards from the flames' grasp. And they might have been able to too, but the flames seemed to weave about the room as if it were alive, entrapping its victims. Soon, the fire was everywhere and it wanted a taste of human flesh; to run the pinkish stuff between its burning teeth and taste life before it faded in a hellish death.

"Run! Jazz! Danny!" Maddie cried as she tried to run from the flames that so angrily tried to consume her. She had to make it to the cabinet with the weaponry. There had to be something in here that she could protect her family with. There had to be, but … the red head suddenly stopped. She felt her heart seize up as she watched the flames reach out and grab Jack by the ankles. He fell to the floor with a thud, cracking his jaw. The man blinked once or twice wearily as blood started to drip out of his mouth, but before he knew it, his nails were digging into the flooring. He gave Maddie a last scared glance and then cried out in agony as the flames ate at his ankles, finally tugging him into the flame's belly with a venomous hiss. A lone tear ran down the mother's cheek, and she just stood there as the flames drew closer to her. She didn't even scream as a wave of hot flame rolled over her like a wave from the ocean.

She was dead before her charred corpse hit the ground, smoke pouring off her form like black blood … her wedding ring the only thing left glimmering.

"Mom! Dad!"

Danny was overcome by shock as he watched his mother fall to the floor in a ball of fire. His mind had fallen into distress, struggling to wake its body from what had to be a nightmare. Yet, in his stillness, the flames found a new meal and were slowly moving forward, ready to grasp their treat and consume him. Danny didn't even notice when the flames reached out to grasp him … but Jazz did. The sister cried out to her brother as she violently pushed him out of the way and to the floor away from the fires' grasp. This did not stop the flames, of course. They merely changed tastes and a web of thin waves slid around her slim waist and pulled her into its trap. Jazz was only allowed to give her brother a frightened look as her delicate frame and dragged her into the molten grave by an unknown hand. Danny was frozen in distress as he waited for his sister to step out of the flames and yell at him for not saving her. He was so entranced that he couldn't even cry out her name.

Why was this happening?

The half ghost's gaze was pulled away from where his sister once stood and back to the huge orb with its box within. A blackened song had started to play as if an malevolent music box had been open … like a Pandora's Box. The walls of the flaming ball finally collapsed and crashed onto the floor completely, spreading flames in all directions like a flood. Yet, that was the least of Danny's problems as a fire riddled hand suddenly sprang out of the box, grasping the side as if a person was slowly pilling themselves out of a bathtub. Soon a head pulled itself out as well, jaw spread wide, crying out silently. Then, with a sickeningly slow pace, it pulled itself out as its bones bended and contoured until it was finally able to squeeze out of the small box; its form falling to the floor in an exhausted manner. It didn't take long, despite the boy's inner prayers, before a flaming foot finally took its stance on the melting tiles, exhaustion gone. It merely stood there a moment, lolling its head from side to side, before it dropped its skull back with a roar of conquest, throwing his arms straight out to the heavens as if mocking it.

Danny swallowed. He had to do something, and soon the words were flowing past his lips, "I'm going Ghost!"

The teenager no longer cared if his parents saw him as long as he could save them. That's all that mattered! Too bad they were long since dead, kindle for the fire, his mind so grievous it refused to acknowledge the truth.

"Time to take you out; you fire hazard," cried Danny as tears streamed down his cheeks in a feverous manner. This thing was going down! With a chocking scream, the half ghost threw himself forward in an attack that would have devastated most of his enemies, but not this one. The flaming figure merely swiveled to the side grabbing Danny by his right arm with the speed and agility of a god. The flames immediately started to feast away at the ghost boy's flesh, a sickening burn smell filling the air. Danny quickly panicked because of the sudden rush of pain and tried to phase through … but to no avail. His arm merely shivered in a weak way like his powers were being drained. The teenager wasn't even allowed a moment of confusion as he screamed out in horror; the flaming beast had tightened his grip, causing the flames to bite deeper into his flesh, into the muscle. The Halfling continued to struggle despite the growing level of pain … he had to live. He just had too!

"Let go!"

The figure did not follow the request and soon the pain was finally too much; Danny Phantom felt his strength and will to struggle fading. Unable to will away the darkness, Danny finally surrendered and hung like a piece of meat from the flaming being's grasp. The figure's charcoal black eyes finally decided to stare down at his still toy. It said nothing… nothing at all. It only smiled with its shark like teeth, a small sound escaping from behind that enameled prison: a blood, chilling chuckle in its throat.

Danny could barely acknowledge the sound, his sight starting to dim as the pain in his arm increased. He was going into shock. The cries of his friends and family seemed almost silent as he stared into the fire demon's eyes, those black, dead eyes. It was then that he realized: this was the end. He couldn't save anyone. Not even himself.

"Danny! Save us!" The cry echoed through the half-ghost's head, his loss completely realized, and then the world went dark, swallowed up by smoke.

…

A ghostly eye, with a purple pupil and small bat like wings, watched from the distanced as the Fenton house was encased by flames; much like a wicker man. All the sacrifices of flesh included.

"How very interesting," squeaked the winged eye as it watched the house fall into decay, giving way to the flames' onslaught. As if on summons, the fire trucks roared around the corner, tires squealing in distress, but they were too late. No one could do anything now but watch.

XXX

Paw07: **Warning! This is an old story!** This story was the one that started it all: my writing skills. Being that is the truth, there are many errors, character inconsistencies, spelling errors and just utter stupidity contained within. Now, being sentimental I'm not going to just delete this so I decided to slowly revise this. Since some of the chapters are basically being rewritten, I decided to just delete the old chapters and republish the whole thing. I'm kind of sick of people trying to critique this old fic. Now, there are 30 chapters in total. Hopefully this won't take too long.

**(Revision August 2013)**


	2. Tears for the Dead

Chapter 2: Tears for the Dead

He was cold despite the blistering temperature; he felt so numb inside. It was as if the world had died around him, falling away into ash and sand. The boy twitched in his skin at the thought. What was happening? What was that buzzing in his ear? Were those sirens?

The teenager's fuzzy mind wasn't allowed to dwell on this when his heart skipped a beat as he felt the strength of two strong arms wrap themselves around his shoulders, slowly pulling him from his world of ash and soot. The boy couldn't help it; he let out a small gasp as the arms grazed his burnt limb. With the wave of pain, Danny suddenly realized that he was hurt, that his entire body was aching, yet … he didn't care. He just wanted to fade back into the darkness and listen to its lustrous whispers.

The young fireman nearly jumped out of his jacket as the corpse he had just dug from under the rubble whimpered, a soot covered hand grasping onto his jacket slightly. The man's breath caught as he stared at the teen in his arms … at least he had thought the boy was a corpse. Quickly, the fireman pulled his heavy, yellow glove off with his teeth and put his revealed fingers to the body's blackened neck. He nearly dropped the teenager when he felt a small thump from the child's heart.

The hero choked on his words for a moment before he was finally able to yell, "Hey, this one's alive!"

"Someone's alive!" came a surprised collection of voices.

Danny gave no reaction as several pairs of heavy boots surround him, a gloved hand quickly lifting his head and carefully placing an air mask over his face. With the wave of fresh air, the half ghost no longer wanted to fade into the darkness. He wanted to scream out, wanted to claw and kick and dig back into the soot. He wanted to do something, but all he could do was silently listen to the fire rage on as he was slowly carried away to some new destiny.

…

Maybe it had been a few hours or a few minutes. His mind was far too foggy to care, but the darkness was dripping away, melting like ice sickles near the end of winter. He could taste every breath, feel the soft blankets beneath him and smell the antiseptic, but there was not a sound. The icy silence was overwhelming inside the hospital ward. There wasn't even an echo in the pristine place to distract him from the truth that whispered like so many insects in his head. Danny wanted to run, run away from this wet, drowning nightmare. Whatever this nightmare was…

With a raspy inhale, Danny readied himself to move, fingers twitching, but the sudden stinging and burning in his arm told him otherwise as he drew in a sharp breath. As far as his body was concerned, he wasn't going anywhere.

"I'm …glad… he's okay," said a deep, rich voice that came from outside Danny's room. At the noise, the teenager managed to open one of his eyes and glare at the light that was coming from outside of his room. His lids felt so horribly heavy, yet he could just make out two men through his hazy eyesight. One was clearly the doctor with his white coat, yet it wasn't him that was speaking. Another person was talking … someone in black. He seemed rather nervous and stiff for some reason, his fingers constantly moving into and out of a fist.

"Well, _okay_, might be an understatement. He has…"

The doctor was interrupted by the other figure, the man seeming almost desperate as he spoke, "Where's Maddie? Maddie Fenton. I mean the boy's mother?"

The healer was still for a moment, his clipboard falling to his side as he seemed to search for the right words. A silence was allowed to creep into the ward before the healer's voice came softly in a comforting manner and yet was sickeningly professional, "I'm sorry to be the one to inform you but… the boy was the only one. I'm sorry for your loss."

The tall figure's proud shoulders slumped forward at the news and Danny vaguely watched as the doctor reached outward with a steel grip and grabbed the man in black who looked like he was about to collapse. Then, whispering something about sitting down, the doctor led the distressed man to a nearby chair, sitting down next to him as he continued to talk to the distraught figure.

Perhaps it was due to some drug, exhaustion or maybe he just felt he shouldn't pry into another's misery, but Danny slowly closed his eyes wanting to see no more of this tragedy. The sound still carried though and the last thing Danny heard was the man's soft sobbing as the healer tried to comfort him. It was such a sad sound from one who seemed so proud.

…

Vlad's shoulders slumped forward as the doctor's grave news set in. He let the misery of a thousand lost lovers before him wash over him like a flood from winter snows, cold and slow. After a silence was allowed to pass in a quivering strip of time, Vladimir pulled his head out of his hands, his eyes sunken and cheeks wet though no more tears dared reveal themselves to another being. Rubbing his hands together, refusing to look at the aging healer, he whispered, "Dr. Webking. Tell me … what happened?"

Webking frowned. The man had nearly collapsed a moment ago; perhaps telling him something so troubling wasn't the best thing to do but there was this electricity in the air, a power that was meant to be feared. It was as if the man before him was something more than human… stronger than a normal man. Swallowing, the doctor closed his eyes, nodded and then relented. The worst thing that might happen would be if Mr. Masters would need a slight sedative.

Looking at his shoes for a moment, collecting his thoughts, the healer turned towards Masters and met the other's gaze, his voice professional. "We haven't been given many specifics, but there was an accident in the Fenton's Lab. The entire house caught aflame from there. There was a lot of equipment so the current speculation is that it was a lab accident … Also, in the basement they found two males and three females who were … burned alive. Danny was the only survivor."

Vlad swallowed his sorrow, his Adam's Apple bobbing, his breath catching in his chest at the cold professional words. The doctor seemed generally concerned, but the words were so distilled like the atmosphere of the hospital ward around them. The millionaire swallowed, his hands becoming fists with his nails digging into his palms, his first and only love was gone. Yet … his mind wavered on 'the boy' for a moment. The child had repeatedly interrupted Vlad and his plans and plots time and time again, dragging Maddie from his warm embrace to the point that she actually detested him. He wanted to laugh. It seemed that the other half-ling would feel the misery of loss that he had felt since he lost his true love. The boy would feel the bite of loneliness, its desperation … its misery. He would know pain.

Frowning, the man realized what he had just thought. The boy was alone… just like he had been for so long. Vlad was no true hero. He was conniving and criminal at times, but he was not a cruel man. He would never wish his fate on another person. So, despite himself, he asked, "Have you told him?"

"Who?" Webking asked as he gave the millionaire a confused look, relief washing over him slightly that neither the _monster_ nor had the _weak man_ inside this man before him had revealed themselves in some violent way. Just the middle 'thing' that controlled the two, the mask. Webking knew this man was powerful and had no wish to upset him.

"The boy, Danny?" said Vladimir in a tight, struggled yet collected voice as he tried to still his hands by wrapping his fingers together. He was struggling to seem collected, professional almost. He didn't want the doctor to see his rage and sorrow at the thought of the deceased maiden. His love for her was no one else's business, especially since he could just imagine the rumors.

"No, not yet. He hasn't regained consciousness since the firemen found him at the scene. Plus," the doctor said the next sentence with care; the man before him was sure to crack like a fragile glass tool if he didn't lay down the bad news carefully despite the outward act, "we are afraid such information would worsen his condition."

"What do you mean by worsen?" murmured the millionaire as he glared in the direction the boy was resting in. He was sure Danny escaped most injury because of his ghost powers, cowardly abandoning his family to the flames, but it seemed that he was very wrong. It was only a wonder of what was wrong with him now. Was the child's entire body charred and blackened, or was it just a head injury or something equally insignificant? Either way, he couldn't find it in him to ask, his voice threatening to crack and reveal the emotions that were trying to conquer the shock of the situation. Maddie was gone. Maddie could never be his. All that was left of her… was the boy.

Mr. Webking looked down at Danny's charts which he had laid on the seat next to him when he had helped Masters to a chair. He knew Vladimir Masters wanted to know what was exactly wrong, but he couldn't muster the strength to ask, so Webking answered the un-asked questions for him.

"Danny's right arm was severely burned. He had smoke inhalation, and he is recovering from shock. He needed a few stitches and bandages over his body when … the roof collapsed, but the largest problem was that arm. Lots of skin and some muscle was burned away, but with surgery we were able to save the arm. He will need a few skin grafts but will probably be able to regain most reflexes in it … if it doesn't become infected that is." Vlad nodded at this and Webking continued, "Danny will need some rehabilitation once the graphs take and the wound heals over, but the biggest concern now is his mental state. After all, he did lose his family and friends all in one day. It will not be easy for him."

Masters nodded again, forcing himself to swallow a huge lump lodged in his throat so he could ask calmly, "What's going to happen to him now?"

"Rehabilitation, like I …"

"No, no," said the multi-millionaire in a slightly irritated manner. "… I mean, where does he go after the hospital? I knew the family. Neither really had any close relatives."

Vlad's hands shook slightly at the thought as he looked back at the floor and away from the doctor. The situation was unnerving. Why was he even here? Shouldn't he be running back home to lick his wounds? Everything he had fought so hard for was gone, leaving him without an anchor to his world. What should he do now? What could he do? He never would like to admit it, but being half ghost meant that you had to have something that kept you to this world, an obsession, a need. His had been Maddie… now what?

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" asked the healer with a raised brow, his graying hair rather evident as he shifted in the artificial light. Vlad merely looked at the doctor with a sorrowful expression. He had no idea what the healer meant; a miscommunication was defiantly taking place here.

The good doctor merely sighed at Vlad's confusion and started to rub his brow as if a headache was coming on. Vlad Masters was in for one hell of a surprise.

"Maybe you should talk to the Fenton's lawyer, Mr. Smith. I believe he was wandering around the waiting room, hitting on passing nurses," said Webking with a bit of distaste before a fake smile came over his features and he offered a hand in the direction the lawyer was located. "Yellow brief case, can't miss him."

Vlad didn't move, merely nodding the doctor off as took this time to think, his legs were so heavy just like his heart. His Maddie was gone. He wished he could look for her in the ghost zone in some feeble hope that she had remained behind, but he knew better. She had no unfinished business, leaving nothing but a boy behind.

…

Forever seemed to pass for Vlad in that hospital chair. The air seemed stale, like all the life had been sucked out of the place … or maybe all the life had merely been sucked out of him making all the air he breathed stale. Yet, he was not allow to his silent misery when a square built man walked down the hall with a slight hum on his lips, only to stop before the mourning millionaire. The man's shadow only had to linger over Vlad's world for a moment before the millionaire looked up. The stranger had a snickering face like that of a fox with slicked back black hair which was all pulled together with a black suit. He seemed unearthly … Of course everything in the hospital seemed that way right now.

"Hello," said the stranger in a cheery, telemarketer way as he offered a handshake to the half ghost. "I'm Rodger Smith. The Fenton's, well I was, the Fenton's lawyer."

Vlad pulled his head completely up, stray hairs falling to the side as he glared at the intruder. This man was far too calm and perky for this situation, but lawyers weren't human so he shouldn't be surprised. Despite his will to punch the man for daring to be happy in his presence, he shook his hand. It was not wise to punch lawyers.

"I'm so glad you got here so quickly. This is a most eager situation. Well …" Smith looked through the door staring at the resting boy. Vlad followed his gaze only to look away when he got a look at the teenager's pale face, "it is a most eager situation for him."

Mr. Smith continued to softly smile at the shaken millionaire. When it finally grew obvious that Vlad wasn't going to move, Smith sat next to him while opening his yellow brief case. The lawyer slowly pulled out a folder that had a small picture of Danny clipped to the side.

"As you already know, Danny is now an orphan," said the man simply like this was just any other conversation, yet the words dug deep into Vlad's heart. A part of him, he thought dead, was waking up and he _hated_ it. Emotions were for saps.

"He has no relatives except for an aunt. She lives in the boonies somewhere, and I haven't been able to contact her. Plus, I doubt she has the resources for a child. So that leaves you."

The millionaire jumped in his skin at the last part, perking up and asking dully, "What do I have to do with Danny?"

'_Except the fact we are both part ghost'_ thought Vlad bitterly.

Smith didn't even skip a beat as he added, "Everything. Jack, God rest his soul, had a Will."

A slick piece of paper found its way out of the yellow case and into Vlad's fingers like some type of Holy Grail. The bachelor noticed Jack's chicken-scratch signature at the bottom of the paper immediately.

"His Will had you, Vlad Masters, as Danny's Godfather."

Vlad nearly choked on his tongue as he dropped the paper, the sheets scattering like doves in a park. His eyebrow twitched as he looked directly at the smiling lawyer. He then grabbed the lawyer by his shirt collar and said, "His Godfather! Cheese-crisps! You must be joking? I _hated_ Jack. Why would he trust me enough to raise his only son?"

Smith's smile didn't even crack at the news or the fact that Vlad had him by the neck of his shirt.

"Well, either Jack was a very forgiving man or very stupid," said the lawyer as he quickly pried off Vlad's fingers and grabbed the Will off the floor before Vlad could reread it. He then threw it in his case and slammed it shut. "Now, if you are worried about money. The Fenton's-"

"I'm not worried about money. I have more than enough," growled the half ghost. Did he look poor? Certainly not! His shoes alone nearly cost two-thousand dollars and they weren't even his most expensive pair. So why was that lawyer thinking … Vlad's thoughts came upon a sudden realization and before he could help himself, he whispered, "But what if I don't want too?"

"Too what, raise Danny?" said Smith. Raising an eyebrow as if not wanting Danny was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard.

"Well," added the lawyer coldly, "because he's a minor he'll end up in an orphanage. And since boys his age have trouble finding homes, he'll probably spend the rest of his childhood there."

At those words, Vladimir's back tightened as if he had just been slapped in the face. Mr. Smith let the truth sink into Vlad's skull for a moment before he pulled out a smooth black pen with the pile of papers.

"What are those for?" asked Vlad in shock, when in truth he knew what they were for. He just couldn't believe it. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be, but it was. He had wanted Daniel as student so many months ago because he had been sure he'd get Maddie with the deal, but after so many irritating interludes from the child, he wasn't sure he wanted the boy around anymore.

"I think we both know," said the man with his fox like grin. "These are Danny's adoption papers."

Vlad couldn't stop himself as he took the papers, the material whispering against the rough skin of his fingers. A look of pure terror quickly filled his eyes yet he couldn't look away from the delicate printing on the pages as if it were whispering the truths of the universe to him. Mr. Smith watched Vlad for a minute before he closed his case and stood up. He then looked Vlad straight in the eye and said, "You don't have to sign them right now. Get some rest and think it over. I know you'll make the right choice in the end."

Vlad, for the first time in his life, had nothing to say.

XXX

Paw07: Thanks for the reviews. I thought this story was going to be a flop. Somehow this story turned into a drama. I wrote this and I don't even know how it happened. Next chapter's kind of slow, but those of you waiting for Vlad's answer will get it.

**Edit**: You know, I noticed that Vlad seemed a little to _caring_ for Danny outright so I revised some sentences to reveal that he put Maddie foremost.

**(Revised September 2013)**


	3. The Signature

Chapter 3: The Signature

Vlad found himself incredibly tired as if the sand man himself was beating him over the head with a stick. It was his own fault, of course, having worked himself into the ground lately with business and schemes alike. Not that that matter. It still didn't answer why he had found himself there. Maybe he couldn't take the squeak of shoes or the silent stares of people passing by. Maybe the lights were too bright. Or maybe… he didn't want people to see him cry over his lost love, a cationic boy unable to witness his misery.

So he had spent the whole night next to the ailing boy, tears streaming from his cheeks despite not making a noise except for a soft sob here or there. And when he was too exhausted to cry, he'd stared at the papers that damn lawyer had given him. In fact, the older half-a was still clutching the pen tightly in his hand, an indentation probably forming in his skin like a sunken tattoo. Half of him wanted to kill Danny right now while the other side wanted … what did he want?

He wanted Maddie. He wanted her so badly so that he could have a brief glimpse of fulfillment in his life. He'd never have that now. He had nothing currently, just a boy with a hero complex that had finally failed him. Vladimir wanted to be angry, enraged. He wanted to shake the boy for not saving her or maybe just smother the child with a pillow. A useless action, he knew. The child irritated him, but was hardly worth such pains. Masters had never truly tried to kill the kid, so why start now? Especially if the fire wasn't an accident. Many shifty characters came through the ghost portal that once existed in the Fenton's home. If that were so … there would be blood.

Turning away from such thoughts, Vlad looked down at the teenager asleep in the bed. Yes, Danny would tell him if someone had done this, and while he was on thoughts of the boy… what of the papers? He hadn't given it much thought actually. He had been hurting too much himself to care for another and certainly not an unconscious someone. He had wanted the teenager as an apprentice the first time he had discovered the likeness the two of them carried, but after the younger half-a denied him he pretty much gave up thoughts of that actually happening. But now it was like he had that same opportunity, but now the boy had no option in the matter. The real question though was not if the teenager would react badly, but if Vlad even wanted to try and accept the youth again.

Vlad didn't get very far in his self exploration though when suddenly his thoughts were intruded by soft footsteps. He looked up, angry at whoever had interloped on his emotional sanctuary.

"Hello?" said one of the attending, male nurses as he peeped around the corner of the doorway and into the room like some bodiless spy or a disembodied floating head.

Vlad immediately wanted to throw the glass of water, which was next to the bed, at the guy's head for this gloating grin: why did everyone have to be so happy around here?

The man stepped in, his starched-stiff scrubs singing as he walked into the room and over to the side of Danny's bed. The name 'Thomas' hung heavily on his nametag as he all but skipped to the other side of the room. Opening a metal cluster of drawers as he pulled out his supplies, Thomas then placed his collection onto a nearby rolling table which he then pressed forward to the side of Danny's bed. The green-shirted nurse looked at the youth's chart quickly to make sure he had the right patient, and then stated calmly to Vlad, "I'll be changing his wrappings. You can leave if you want. A burn isn't the most pleasant thing to look at."

The millionaire made no attempt to move so Thomas grabbed the tube belonging to Danny's IV and injected the necessary medication. Vlad flinched as the needled sparkled menacingly in the artificial light. How he hated needles! Years in the hospital after Jack's little _accident_ taught him that much.

Thomas paid no mind to Vlad's twitch as he gently pushed aside Danny's blanket revealing his arm. The skin that showed was badly bruised and blacked like a burnt steak. The nurse sighed and slowly removed the bandages as if handling a crystal vase. The millionaire swallowed as he stared at the gruesome sight. The skin in some places looked as if it had been scratch off with a cookie cutter, while the rest was blackened and swelling… fluids seemed to be oozing everywhere. There was also a delicate row of black stitches running down the arm, giving the skin an even more freakish look. Vlad quickly looked away in disgust; a part of him was getting ill at the sight. Finally noticing the magnitude of Vlad's distress, the nurse decided to distract him.

"So you're taking him in, are you? It's good to know he isn't completely alone," said the nurse in a calm manner, hoping to invoke the same feeling.

The millionaire forgot his stomach and looked up at the nurse in surprise.

"Who told you that?" said Vlad as his shaken feeling was replaced with a nervous vexation. He was a man that valued his privacy so there was no viable reason that this nurse should know about such a personal affair.

"Nurses know everything around here, and Mr. Smith has been _interacting_ with our female nurses quite a lot," Thomas said with a devious smile. He loved being a nurse sometimes. There were just so many juicy rumors to snack upon like a raccoon rummaging through the neighborhood trash.

A tiny tint of irritation rose in Vlad's throat, his private nature suddenly feeling stained. He didn't care for that man and now he knew why… what kind of lawyer didn't know how to keep his mouth shut? _The kind that wants to make you feel guilty; I wasn't exactly excited when he told me that I was Danny's godfather so he wanted to protect his reputation,_ said the voice in the back of Vladimir's head. _I should take his license away, breaching my confidentiality like that._

"Mr. Smith," Vlad resisted the urge to call him a buffoon and instead said, remembering to protect his personal image, "is … very perspicacious."

The poor bachelor nearly choked on his own words. That technically was the truth; Smith was perceptive and he used his powers for his own self fulfillment. Mr. Smith was like a snake in the grass that deserved to be crushed; though, one would probably be bit first. A man that carried a yellow briefcase was ostentatious enough that he wasn't afraid of a little belligerence. He probably liked being noticed be it a negative or positive momentum.

"Yes, he is," Thomas chimed as he finished Danny's wrapping, throwing the remains in the 'biohazard' trash, picking up his supplies afterwards. "Well, I'm all done here. I hope he wakes up soon so we can find out what happened. The whole situation is very troubling. "

The nurse, stalling, wiped Danny's sweat covered hair from his eyes and checked his fever with a simple palm test. The boy had had the fever ever since they found him, but the doctor was sure that it was nothing serious at the moment. Thomas smiled once more as he pulled his hand away. The fever seemed to have dropped, especially since the boy was sweating.

Giving a final grin to the other occupant, he exited.

Vladimir watched his only company leave. He took in a deep breath, knowing not if he was grateful or regretful for the loss. Looking around once more, far too tired to pick up on his self pity, he turned his attention to his silent company and pulled his chair a little closer to the bed to better observe the teenager. Danny was motionless except for his shallow breaths that lifted and dropped his chest. Being this close also made Vlad finally noticed that Thomas had forgotten to cover Danny's arm back up. So, as carefully as possible, he covered the teenager's arm once more, hiding it from the world. The boy only took a shallow breath in answer.

"Now where did that come from?" Vlad ask himself as he sat back down, half expecting to hear an answer about his sudden generosity toward his usually enemy. "And what exactly happened to you, little badger? I promise I will avenge Maddie if it wasn't an accident, but first you must awaken."

"Mom … Dad…"

The hairs on the back of Vlad's neck quickly rose as the listened to the young boy whimper in his sleep. A deep sorrow suddenly washed over the billionaire once again as he watched Danny struggle against the sheets. Yet, this time, it wasn't for himself and his lost love. It was for the boy and his lost mother.

Sighing, the bachelor slowly picked up the black pen and wondered if he should start a new chapter to his life. He had everything he could ever want: fame, riches, women and power. It was invigorating, yet at the same time it all had felt empty. It all felt meaningless without someone there to share it with, without someone to give it to. He had crawled so high and now he was looking around realizing he was alone on the mountain top. It was as if he were already dead.

Swallowing at the deep ache in his chest, Vlad made a decision.

He was tired of being alone, and Daniel was now just as alone as he was. It was a truth of life in this world that misery loves company. Besides, "Anything's better than a cat."

…

"Danny," said Jack as he waved to his son from across a lake. Casual jeans and a blue button up shirt replaced his usual attire. The teenager blinked once in surprise until he caught sight of his mother and sister who were seated on a tablecloth in the manicured grass, getting ready for a picnic. It was truly an image of contentment. It was so wonderful Danny allowed a smile to crack on his lips though, for some reason, he knew he should be sad.

Maddie looked up from her work and tilted her sunhat so Danny could see her beaming face. She smiled as she cried out, "Yes, Danny! Come have some of my strawberry cake."

Her sun hat was suddenly caught by the wind because of its tilt, blowing it over the small lake and to the teenager's feet. The red head laughed and held up the white cake with strawberries on the top, taking care not to stain her white dress or drop the treat as she yelled, "Bring me that hat and I'll let you have the first piece of cake. Now come over here. We have all been waiting for you."

The birds sang softly as the clouds floated on the wind, but nothing could compare to the bliss in Danny's heart. It was like some terrible weight had been lifted. He found himself suddenly running full speed ahead with the hat on his head, laughing at the thought of how ridiculous he must look. He was soon gasping for air by the time he had reached the picnic area, but the smile didn't fade from his face. He quickly sat down beside his family, glad to feel warmth in his heart once more though he wasn't sure where it had gone to begin with. Either way, all his worries had been left behind. All he needed to be was happy was his family.

"Danny," said Jazz softly as she turned to him. "Hurry up and eat. Do you want the ants to get to the cake before you?"

Danny rolled his eyes at her and picked up a knife. He greedily sunk the blade into the white frosting, glad he was allowed to cut the cake. The cake split before the knife as everyone eyed the sweet treat greedily. He quickly finished cutting it into a few pieces and then asked, "Who wants the first piece?"

"Silly, the first piece is yours," cried Sam as she entered the scene with Tucker at her heals. They both looked to be overjoyed to see Danny, especially Sam. Her smile was from ear to ear and there seemed to be apple blossoms floating by her in the air. His two best friends soon found their seats on the tablecloth beside his family… they were all together.

"Sure thimg," said Danny as he slowly pulled the cake apart, but instead of a sweet center a cold red light came forward jumping up in a fiery wave as if a sun had suddenly been born from the darkness. In surprise, all Danny could do was throw his hands up, howling in pain as the red hate started to burn the flesh off the palms of his hands, consuming his perfect life as if it was a picture fed to a flame. Danny cried out again as the scenery was burnt away like a stage only to reveal that he was actually standing in a huge, flaming hand all along, the perfect scene a lie. The ghost boy quickly felt breathless as he watched the same flaming figure rise before him as a horrific titan.

The demon could only smile with his shark-like teeth, and then the flames consumed Danny, reaching up with spindly fingers as they all stole their pound of flesh, the blood boiling before it could hit the titan's palm.

"… _I am the red rage of the world. No one and no land can forever escape me_."

…

"Uh!" Danny awoke with a gasp, sweat dripping down his face and back. He quickly sat up only to be forced back down with a grunt. His arm was on fire! The teenager laid there a moment taking panicked breaths as he gripped the sheets below him. After a few moments of acting like a fish on land, Danny finally managed to swallow his panic and throw off his sheets to see what was the matter. A whimper escaped him as he looked down at his left arm. It was wrapped in bandages, yet he could see the top part of his flesh was red and irritated; there were also small traces of blood seeping through the bandages. He sat up using his right arm to move his left up into his lap. His arm suddenly exploded in agony causing the teenager to grind his teeth as he waited for the pain to be numbed. He would have never moved at all if he knew that was going to happen.

A few moments passed of practiced breathing until Danny's arm went numb again. He opened his eyes and looked around the shadow encased room, staleness in the air.

"Where am I?" the teenager asked himself in a choked voice before he started coughing violently once the words passed through his chapped lips. Danny grabbed at his throat, wincing for a moment. His lungs seemed to be on fire. Where was he? What had happened? Was this a hospital room? How had he…

_Snore_.

The boy jumped horribly and his gaze leapt to the other side of the room in fear and surprise. Someone was sleeping in the bed next to him. Danny could just make out the white hair of the other patient, but the face was hidden in dark shadows. He stared for a moment more, trying to distinguish some of the other's features, but his eyes just wouldn't focus on the other occupant. It was probably just an old man he had to share the room with. Okay, check one annoying roommate, but why was he even here? Certainly, he would remember…

It then hit him why he had waken up in the first place as if a wind had suddenly slammed all the windows open, chilling the room in a midnight frost. The dream about his family! Danny hurriedly scanned the rest of the hospital room, but no one except the strange man was there. _Where was his family?_ Danny panicked and weakly pulled himself out of bed. His feet landed heavily on the cold floor, sending a chill through his entire body and nearly causing him to fall to the floor in a collected clump.

Trying to wish off his dizziness, Danny stood there a moment panting as he leaned on the hospital bed for support. Standing there, breathing in slow deliberate breaths, he finally noticed he wasn't going anywhere until he pulled this IV out which was now tugging at his arm. The teenager swallowed. He had no love of needles or any of its cousins, but it had to come out. Ghosts couldn't stop him from rescuing his cherished ones so why would a simple needle? Already regretting it, Danny pinched the top of the needle between his thumb and forefinger and then, while looking away, he gave it a tug. He felt the sting, but its bite didn't bother him as much as the oozing feeling now dripping down towards his elbow. Opening his eyes, the teenager stared at the small river of blood that was travelling downward. It was a fair bit of blood, but he doubted he was going to bleed to death so he turned his attention to his feet and took a step forward.

"Ow, breezy," coughed Danny immodestly. The boy vaguely wondered why it was so drafty until he finally looked down only to notice that he was wearing _nothing_ but a hospital gown. _Great … commando_. Plus, the gown's color wasn't very flashing on him. Not that his distaste mattered much when a sudden dizziness quickly overcame the teenager and he stumbled to the side, forced to grasp the stranger's bed for support.

Glaring at his white knuckles, Danny knew he was too weak to go ghost so he would need some cloths. It seemed he would have to do this venture with his own two feet.

Lucky, it was the middle of the night or one of the nurses might have noticed a half naked boy streaking into the laundry room. Once there, the halfling found himself a flashing, green intern uniform and a pair of scrub shoes. Putting them on while minding his bruised and batter body, he quickly was ready to go. A slow exit was needed for this escaped to go without a hitch. Yet, Danny didn't understand why no one stopped him as he exited the hospital, because he doubted fourteen-year-old doctors worked there.

…

Vlad yawned loudly and rolled over, his mind restless as if trying to warn him of something. Slowly, he opened his eyes to gaze at the reason for his troubled mind: the bed right next to him. He was so mentally and physically exhausted that he hadn't even bothered going to a motel. So, instead, he just crashed in the empty hospital bed next to the kid, personally making sure the room was made private. For some reason he wanted to be here in case the other half-a woke up. Vlad's eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim lights, and he immediately noticed there was defiantly something vitally wrong here. Something was missing, wasn't it? What was…

"Daniel!" whispered the man as his sleepy mind ricocheted into full alert.

Alarm overcame the man and he quickly tried to jump out of the bed only to trip on the bed railing as his foot caught on the plastic siding. His dry scream filled the halls as the railing caused him to flip forward and to the floor, dragging the entire bed with him. The ruckus caused one of the female nurses to stop her silent night patrol and glance at the closed door questionably.

She stood there a moment, her frown dragging heavily on her plump face. Should she investigate? There was no alarm going off, but then again someone could have fallen and was unable to buzz for assistance. Then again… all the weirdoes came out at night; that included the hospital. Shaking off her paranoia, her tan hands reached forward to open the door but before she could even turn the handle a deranged man suddenly threw open the door, half dragging one of the bed railings on his foot, cursing under his breath as he struggled to kick off the contraband.

For a moment the two just stared at each other: a frightened looking nurse and a ruffled man that had all but dragged half of the bed out of the room with him.

Vlad struggled against the plastic bar clinging to his ankle for a moment more, before he cleared his throat, stood up straight, pushed back a stray hair with his hand, and then straightened his tie. His tone seemed professional enough, but a tint of worry escaped his tensely held features, "The boy! … I mean Daniel Fenton. I closed my eyes for a moment and now he's gone. I think it's rather unprofessional to remove the child without informing me first. … The nurses did take him somewhere, didn't they?"

The nurse blinked once, still trying to get over the fact that the man hadn't attacked her like the weirdo she had originally judged him to be. Tilting her head, eyes tired from working a double shifted, she stated almost dumbly, "It's the middle of the night. We wouldn't take him in for any tests unless he's critical."

The man's professional features almost cracked, whispering, "Then where is he?"

An expression of confused-worry replaced her tired eyes, and she peaked past the black-draped man and into the room. The one bed was tipped over and the other was most certainly empty… the bathroom was also dark. Frown increasing, dismay set in when she noticed that the IV was still in the room, small droplets on the floor. She swallowed, following the trail with her brown eyes as the trickling stream of red led out into the hall and away from the room. She knew what had happened immediately, her lips becoming a tight line. The kid had gone A-wall.

Noticing this importance of the situation, the young nurse nearly tripped over her own feet as she rushed for the nurses' station to inform hospital security and the rest of the night staff, yelling behind herself, "Sir, I need to go and inform someone of the situation. From the look of things he wandered off, and he is in no condition to be out of bed. J-just stay here. I'll get some security to the room to talk to you."

"Wait! Where are you going! What do you mean he wandered off," Vlad growled in a raised voice, trying to kick off the clingy railing and chase after the late night worker, but as he stared at his feet... there was a blood smear. He swallowed, turning his head to follow the small path back into the darkened room. He then looked back down and followed the small red footprints out into the hall. The IV had been ripped out… probably by a young, inexperienced hand.

"Daniel…"

Cursing silently to himself, he quickly phased through the bed. He then straightened his hair once more, and proceeded down the hall with rushed footsteps, trying to keep a controlled air around him though a type of panic was setting in. The man finally came to a halt when he saw the same female nurse who was now quickly conversing with a young doctor and two security guards. The small collection of people quickly turned their cutting expression towards Masters when the nurse went silent, staring at Vlad with eyes that remind him of a frightened doe's.

Vlad's eyes became slits and in the calmest voice he could muster asked, "Where is he?"

The doctor looked over at the nurse and then up at the frighteningly, silent millionaire. He gave the two security guards a glance to gain some reassurance, because there was almost a predatory air coming off the white haired man and he didn't want to be attacked when he snapped. Swallowed, he stated, "Masters, right? Well… we don't know. We already sent out the call for a lock down so we can look for him."

"You don't know where he is?" said, Vlad his eyes glowing slightly. His hands becoming fists in order to control his more primal need for an outburst, Vlad stated in almost a threatening manner, "Then you better start looking."

Watching the small group nod and then rush off, Vlad stayed perfectly still as if thinking. Almost immediately after everyone was out of sight, he placed his hands behind his back and started to walk towards one of the darker halls, the artificial lights above throwing his form into and out of darkness. He knew the kid was stubborn, but even he knew better than to take on a foe when he was injured. The child never planned anything, never looked ahead.

Though, he didn't blame the teenager for running off. He'd want revenge too if someone had taken his family from him, but this revenge would be his… once he found the little badger that is and whomever he had rushed off to battle. Stepping into the shadows between the two lights the footsteps suddenly died, and Vlad never reappeared under the next set of lights, seeming to have disappeared into nothing.

…

Danny slowly stumbled past Casper High School. The windows were darkened, but Danny could still hear the laughter of his friends contained within the walls. The teenager quickened his pace to escape the looming eyes of the school, whispering to himself as he struggled not to stumble, "Please don't let this be true."

XXX

Paw07: I know I need more sleep.

Edit: Changed the last scene some with Vlad about Danny's disappearance. It just seemed too 'out there' so I rephrased it to seem a little more professional and serious for the situation.

**(Revised September 2013)**


	4. From the Ashes

Chapter 4: From the Ashes

"M … mom! Dad!" cried Danny as he rushed forward towards the rubble of what remained of the Fenton home.

The teenager pushed the yellow police tape to the side as the ashes cracked and splintered under his feet. The only thing that still spoke the truth that this rubble was once his home was the huge 'F' that had been scorched and burned, rising above the rest of the remains like a huge, haunting tombstone. The teenager stared at it for a moment and then continued his rampage through the ashes, black clouds licking up at his heels.

"Jazz! Tucker! Sam!" screamed the teenager through chapped lips as he stumbled deeper into the ruins of the house looking around in near hysteria. Danny soon fell to his knees unable to control the shaking of his legs, his screams dying.

Out of desperation, he finally began to dig through the rubble with his bare hands, his breath coming in hiccups. He had to find some type of proof, some sign that his family was alive, that the dream was a lie.

"Please," the boy whispered as he dug deeper and deeper into the rubble with his bare hands. Soon his fingers were bloody from the splinters and pieces of glass that he had uncovered, but he couldn't stop. He didn't want to let go. Not yet, not now… never again. Clock Work had given him a second _chance_. A yet, not even a few months later, the likewise fate still befell him. It had to be a lie.

"This can't be happening! Please! It just can't!"

By this time Danny's bloody hands had already reached the charred remains of the cement flooring, yet he hadn't found the comfort he needed. So he continued digging in another pile, almost erratic when he finally had to stall. He caught a glimpse of something in the rubble to his side, his fingers shaking in agony as he slowly picked up a golden picture frame. The glass was blackened and charred, but the photo remained. Carefully, the half-a removed the photo of his past as little droplets of blood ran down its smooth surface. The edges were burnt, but the memory remained. Jack and Maddie were holding each other tight as Jazz waved from the middle of the photograph. Sam, Tucker, and the happy teenager he once was were huddled together laughing in the corner.

This proved it. This simple charred photograph spoke louder than any death certificates or gravestones. His loved ones were dead, gone like wisps of smoke.

…

_Crack!_

A bolt of blue lightning danced through the night sky revealing the full carnage of the Fenton house and the boy that had been huddled in it for nearly two hours, unmoving, all emotions seemingly dead and husked out. It was then, as if bidding the teenager to do the same or he'd break, it started to rain. Danny looked up almost absentmindedly, the first rain drops falling onto his face and eye lashes only to run down his cheeks as if he had cried those rainy tears. Slowly, he reached upward as if testing the tangibility of this world, feeling the wetness on his face.

A moment later, as he pulled his hand away, he found himself unable to tell the difference between his tears and those of the world. After acknowledging this, he couldn't bring himself to stop as he started to sob. He screamed out in woe as the light of his soul was crushed. The harder he cried, his body shaking, the harder the rain fell in response. The teenager couldn't help but slam his fists into the rubble, praying that his sorrow would consume him and end his suffering.

He wanted to die here. He wanted to die right now. He wanted to lie down and be no more. Anything was better than this pain, this suffering.

"Daniel!" came a yell that echoed over the lightning's cries, a dark form with a cape suddenly revealed in the sky as one bolt fell to the earth.

Plasmius' form remained in midair, cape whipping about, as he stared at the shivering body within the Fenton's rubble. The millionaire looked away from the boy for a moment, assessing the situation. He didn't sense any spirits, not a soul. It seemed that the boy hadn't left the hospital for revenge… he had left for mourning purposes.

Closing his eyes, regretting his lack of comforting skills, Vladimir floated down until he was a few feet from the ground, and then quickly turned into his human form, landing in a puddle of black water. He frowned at his now soggy shoes noting how the puddle looked like blood in this lighting. That fake blood which was now seemingly running everywhere: into the street, into the grass, staining the sidewalks. The rain was washing away the ash, turning the very water black and staining its usual purity.

Probably washing away evidence as well…

The man frowned at that, his shoes were the least of his problems. Moving those now soggy soles forward, he tried not to stumble as he quickly came over to the mourning figure, careful not to trip and cut himself.

The man came to a halt before the frail looking being, towering over him for a moment. Usually, he'd gloat if the teenager ever found himself at Plasmius' feet, but those days were likely gone. Vlad Masters knew he had an opportunity, and he did not want to waste it. Like all business plans, closing a deal required a bit of finesse.

Collecting a more comforting visage, Vlad knelt down at the child's side.

"Daniel? What are you doing here? There's no reason to be here. We need to go back to the hospital. You are in no condition to be outside," said Vlad in short, simple sentences so he could overcome the emotionally overridden mind of the boy.

The ghost child didn't answer or even seem to acknowledge the other being as he continued to quietly wail over his inner turmoil.

"Danny," came Vlad's voice again, demanding now because he expecting a reply. When his threat remained unbidden, he frowned. It seemed talking wouldn't get him anywhere in this situation. Reaching forward, he grabbed hold of the child by his shoulders, digging in slightly to let the boy know he was serious… and because he didn't like the far off look in Danny's eyes, not to mention the violent shaking that was cascading throughout the small form. It seemed he was more distraught that Vlad originally thought. There was nothing left of that cocky, little badger he knew in this boy right now. He needed a more soothing touch.

Looking at the boy's shaking form and now blue lips, Vlad quickly took off his black jacket and put it over the shivering child's shoulders, buttoning the top button like some kind of shawl. Placing his hands on teenager's shoulders once more, he stated in a soft tone, "Daniel, are you alright?"

There was an intake of a shaking breath, a whisper escaping the broken form, "You…"

Vlad's eyes became slits as he leaned inward, tilting his right ear forward so he could understand what the youth was saying. When Danny didn't immediately repeat, he asked simply, "What?"

"You did this! You killed them! You killed them all!" Danny suddenly burst out like a dam overflowing as he grabbed onto Vlad's vest with his shaking hands, staining the man's white undershirt red as he tried to pull the larger man down to his eye level.

Trying to push off the shock of being latched onto and the proclamation that Danny thought he had done this, Vlad shook his head, the boy's outburst revealing something unspoken. Apparently … There would be no revenge on some now unknown murderer of his love. There would be no comfort for him. Danny's blame-filled gaze explained now so many things such as why Danny was burned: an attack you could see coming, but accidents were named as they were because you didn't see them coming.

Feeling the rage that had been keeping him afloat for last few hours disperse, Vlad swallowed and stated sadly, "Daniel, I …"

"You did this just to hurt me! Why didn't you let me die with them! You could have at least given me that! … Or is that why you're here now!" yelled the teenager, sobs racking over his enraged language. "Just get it over with then!"

The older half ghost blinked once in surprise and then shuddered, "Daniel, I would never hurt you like that. I _loved_ Maddie …. I would never hurt her. I didn't do this, and I certainly wouldn't do all this just to hurt you. Not like this. I loved your mother."

Danny stopped his hysterical crying for a moment and stared into Vlad's eyes, his vision blurry as silent tears continued to fall. Nonetheless, he could still tell those glinting globes were telling the truth. Vlad had not done this; had not sent the beast. Danny had no one to blame but himself. He had killed them! He had let them down. No matter how much he hated Vlad he knew he couldn't blame his problems on the fruit-loop. His fault was his own.

Realizing this, the truth was too much for the boy to bear. The sobbing had suddenly returned and his tears started to stream down his cheeks like a rushed current. Unable to do anything else as his mind drowned in itself, Danny screamed out and threw his head into Vlad's chest, grasping tightly to the shirt of the older man with his bloodied fists. Right now he didn't care if it was Vlad. He was in so much pain. He needed anyone, anybody! He didn't want to be alone. He wanted this ache in his heart to stall in its rupturing, bleeding deep into his soul…

Vlad's first reaction was shock, his usually practiced features lost to the expression. He couldn't believe that this child was actually clutching to him, trying to find comfort from him: his arch nemesis. Was his soul truly suffering so horribly?

Masters stone visage couldn't help but crumble. He had felt this lick for revenge in the back of his mind when he had first found out Danny was now his godson. He knew that there would be battles with the boy, there were bound to be. _This_ was not a battle he had thought he would have to fight though: a boy's sorrow. He just figured the boy would be reclusive and bury his demons away inside himself. He should have known better though: that's what _he_ did. That didn't mean that was how others dealt with such troubles.

Reluctantly, as if almost fearing he'd get a plasma shot to the gut if he touched the other, he wrapped his arms around the boy's shaking shoulders in an awkward hug. After a moment of not being shot, Vlad added in a shaking voice, "Daniel, I miss them as well. Just … just let it all out."

Danny only wailed louder at the confession (though Vladimir knew it was mostly directed at the boy's mother) and the millionaire found a few stray tears streaking down his face as well as if in answer. He didn't shy from them or the words he had said for he knew it was a revelation on his part and should not be ignored. The Fenton's were his only family, even though he had been planning on killing one of them for the past few years. Nonetheless, they had accepted him without want of his money, power, or influence when he reintroduced himself into their lives. He might have admired Jack for that characteristic if the other hadn't stolen what was meant to be his. Not that that rage or hate mattered anymore. In some twisted manner he had gotten his revenge against Jack and now he felt… empty.

Burying thoughts he did not want to face, Vlad leaned a little more into the boy so that the bottom of his chin was all but resting on the teenager's head. He wouldn't think of it. What was the point of thinking of a friendship from a dead man?

…

Far away from the ash and stone of the Fenton's house, the winged eye watched the scene in silence. The wisp of his beating wings was the only sound it made as it watched the heart-wrenching scene with almost a reaction of glee. Seeing what needed to be seen, the observer turned away as if bored and flew away into a nearby alley. The eyeball glided about for a moment as if on a luxury spin before making its way over to a black Cadillac's window which was parked in the alley. The black tinted window slowly rolled down and without any hesitation the eyeball suddenly found itself a perch on the side mirror, turning its attention to the occupant.

"Master… um… I mean Mr. Smith, the boy has been found by Vladimir Masters," whispered the being as rain poured down onto its bat-like wings. The occupant, whom had been looking forward until then, turned his head, his sunglasses falling to the tip of his nose revealing the almost inhuman eyes of Rodger Smith.

"What are they doing?" asked Rodger as he quirked a brow, his grin turning into a look of seriousness.

Shaking his wings before tucking them under, the eyeball stated, "The thing all mortals do, my lord: they mourn."

Smith shifted, the leather seats singing as he became more comfortable. "Oh? Well then, where are they?"

"Where the beast emerged: the Fenton house," spoke the creature as it glared in the direction of the house.

The lawyer tightened his grip on his steering wheel for a moment, his eyes glinting before he added in a soft whisper, "I thought it burned to the ground.

The eyeball blinked and then simply stated, "It did sir."

…

It continued to rain, soaking Vlad to the bone. He couldn't help but looked up at the sky as if blaming it for his problems, and so he sat, cursing the rain. The collective hate that was running a race track in his head suddenly met a harsh and immediate end when he heard it: the gentle clip-clapping of shoes. The millionaire quickly turned his head in the direction of the sound, eyes squinting at a shadowed blur hidden behind sheets of rain. It was moving their way and was becoming more and more human until a man in black emerged from the mist carrying an umbrella.

"I see you found him; the whole hospital has been in an uproar about a missing child," the figure stated as he stopped a few yards from the millionaire and the mourning child.

The man's face was completely overshadowed by the umbrella he was carrying, but Vlad recognized the voice at once, even though they had only spoken once. "Smith?"

The umbrella slowly tilted back and the cockily smiling Smith met his gaze, not that Vlad thought this an opportune moment to be smiling. Was the sleazy lawyer up to something? Not that he really got to think the situation over when Smith's tall figure stopped stalling and walked through the remaining ruins of the Fenton house and over to Vlad's shivering body.

Probably noticing how cold the two kneeling figures were, Smith tipped his umbrella over the bachelor's and Danny's heads getting soaked himself.

"Need some help?" the lawyer said with that hidden-teeth grin.

"Yes, assistance would be appreciated. Daniel is not really in any form to be walking back," said Vlad breathlessly as he carefully picked up the freezing boy who had collapsed into a comatose-like state.

"I'd say. It seems he's exhausted himself today," replied Smith who continued to hold the umbrella over Master's head caring little about the rain as if he felt no cold, leading them to his Cadillac. Vlad halted when they got to the car and stared at his pathetic looking reflection in the car's tinted windows. The lawyer seemed not to notice this halt as he opened the backdoor and took a step back.

"I'd make an excellent chauffer," joked the man with a grin as the millionaire carefully laid the shivering teenager in the back seat, jacket still clinging to the boy.

Vlad looked away from his placed cargo and gave the strange man a confused look before he shut the door, making his way quickly to the passenger's side door. He gave his ruined and expensive shirt a regretful glance before he opened the door and sat down, glad to be just a witness of the rain now. Smith opened his own door a moment later, the leather squeaking as he sat down.

The strange man gripped the steering wheel and sat for a moment, the keys hanging lifelessly in the ignition. Turning his eyes, more than his head, the lawyer stated, "You will protect him won't you, from the horrors of himself and all else to come, right?"

Vlad, whom had been staring at the rearview mirror in order to watch the child, gained a quizzical expression before answering, "… Of course. As his godfather I'm obligated to."

Smith gave one of his closed-mouth smiles and started the car, the tires turning as he stated, "I wish you luck then. I wish you luck."

…

Lights from street lamps shined through the tinted windows of Smith's Cadillac making the world seem caught between the darkness and the light, shades of grey. Danny no longer slept, but instead the boy sat up curled against the car door as if hoping to fall out. The soaked jacket of Vlad's still hung lightly on his shoulders and his gaze was lost to the floor boards as the light danced over him. He couldn't look anywhere else. He refused to. It would make this real. It would make everything that had happen in the past few hours real. It would make what Vlad had said … _real_. And so the boy struggled to remain nowhere, a nothing mind. He would pretend he was stuck in this moment, the hour having captured him with the inability to move on.

The gears within the clock were struggling though, fighting against grit and gravity until suddenly an arm twitched… a second after existing and a thought being born: time had not stalled. He had not stalled. The car was moving. His heart was pumping. The world was twirling on her axis in the void of space. His parents were now decaying…

And, knowing that, Danny Fenton's lips finally moved, "Vlad …"

The millionaire's muscles tightened in discomfort as the boy's voice echoed in the car. It sounded as if it belonged to the whispers of the dead.

"Yes, Danny?" said Vlad in a soft yet professional tone as he slowly turned his head. Despite his own mixed emotions, he offered a sad smile, trying to look as supportive as possible.

The boy's next word washed out that offered smile like a road being eroded by flood waters, Danny's head slumping forward and casted deep in shadows, "Where are they?"

Vlad knew what he meant and it stung deeply to have him ask in such a way, in such a broken way.

Turning away for a moment, looking back at the rain hitting the windshield, he stated, "They are … no longer with us. We are on our own."

Vlad could barely bring himself to say that much. True, his emotions were slightly desensitized since he was older and wiser and a business man to boot, but he still had emotions, still had fears of pain and loneliness. Nonetheless, death was now just a thing Vlad came to know as a normalcy as he grew older. And to tell the truth, the news only fazed Vlad outwardly on the first day. Now… now it was just a doleful memory. He hadn't been close to any of the Fenton's since college despite his want to reintroduce himself to Maddie, but he hadn't been allowed to say he loved her or at least say goodbye. And in that way, he supposed, despite becoming desensitized, he shared in his godson's suffering.

Danny swallowed as he waited for Vlad's reply, sickness swelling in his gut. When the answer he had wanted, cruel and harsh from a heartless man wasn't the one he expected, he exploded in a rage, his teeth baring as his voice cracked, "They're all dead! They are all DEAD! Mom! Dad! Jazz! Tucker! Sam! All dead, because I didn't do anything! I didn't try hard enough! I wasn't a good enough HERO!"

Vlad, who still hadn't looked back, closed his eyes taking in a breath to wash away the angry air. Generally, he'd punish the teenager with a good blast for showing such rage towards him, but he'd let this go. Let him scream as a child would that was scared and lost. He would have done the same… if there was still a child inside him so easily afraid. He had moved beyond such things.

The screaming did not last long though and slowly, as if noticing he had been forgotten, Danny's curses quickly turned into whispers, "I failed them. I'm the reason they're dead."

Masters, finally swallowing his own personal grievances, turned his head just enough to look back at the boy who seemed so fragile like a nearly drowned sparrow. He knew he seemed cold when the boy needed him to be warm, but he couldn't find the right words to say. Regardless, Rodger put a gentle hand on the troubled man's shoulder making him jump slightly as Vladimir looked away from the child and at the lawyer.

The raven haired man shrugged his shoulder and stated in a voice that seemed far too knowledgeable for someone his age. "Sometimes there's nothing to say."

…

The next two days had gone by quickly, Danny remaining bed bound like a depressed convict after escaping his room. Vlad ignored him except for an empty conversation here or there as he took care of the Fenton's affairs. Though, as fate would have it, they couldn't ignore each other forever, Vlad's actions were leading up to this… the funeral was coming to pass and stoic, professional conversations weren't going to cut it.

In-fact, the funerals were this morning, and Vlad had to finally breach the bubble he had been hopping around for a long time as the nurse took off Danny's restraints. Vlad watched impatiently as he placed a plastic-covered suit on the bed next to the boy, vaguely noting that Daniel could have easily phased through those restraints earlier, so why hadn't he?

The nurse gave the teenager a curt nod and left swiftly, whispering a soft sympathy. The words passed over the boy silently.

The silence remained until Danny slowly sat up, legs draped over the opposite side so his back was to the millionaire. Vlad made no move to stir up the silence, he merely continued to place the clothing on the other bed, putting even a pair of perfectly shined shoes on the floor.

He then turned to the teen and stated in a detached tone, "The funerals are at ten this morning. I got a suit for you. Now please get dressed. I need to make a few more calls to make sure the flowers are all there and that everything is impeccable for the funeral home."

Yet, as Masters' turned, his features softened just a little as he readied himself to set out into the hall and offer the teenager some privacy. His voice seemed choked as he continued, "If you need help or if it becomes too much today, just say so."

Danny continued to disclose nothing. He was still, arms draped to his sides like curtains.

A few minutes later, after a call with the priest, Masters stepped back into the room, having added a far more presentable tie and corsage to his suit. He was finishing up the whole professional look with a Rolex and a pair of gold cufflinks with huge diamond M's on them. He had to stall for a moment when he heard a choking noise and nearly choked himself as he turned to see the boy struggling with his tie as if it were a poisonous reptile slowly constricting the younger half-ghost's throat.

Seeing that the other man had enter and was eyeing him with a mixture of engrossed horror and boarder-line amusement, Danny gave up on the tie, his cheeks flush and embarrassed as he hoarsely asked, "Well, how do I look?"

Blinking back an expression of surprise since the child had finally spoken a real sentence to him, Vlad gave his professional-business grin (with just a bit of malicious humor) as he walked over to the boy and took a hold of the abandoned tie, stating as he straightened it, "Really, Daniel. I thought -"

"Don't call me Daniel."

"-That Jack would have had enough sense to at least teach you how to put on a tie," Vlad continued as if he wasn't even interrupted, trying to help the half crippled boy only to have the teenager suddenly jump away with a look of wrath in his eyes.

"Don't you dare insult my dad!" yelled Danny threateningly as he pulled at the tie with his good hand, trying to get the correctly tied tie off his neck while not accidently strangling himself.

Vlad felt the black rage of conflict raise its ugly head and demand he strike back if only with words. He was not afraid of a battle of wits; his corporations thrived off that skill so he would not be bested by a mere crippled boy. Despite his want to rise to the occasion, finding nothing wrong with verbal conflict, the man decided to back off. The teenager had been fair temper as of late. Not one plasma blast had been sent in his direction so he'd allow the boy to fume since that was probably his first form of mourning this morning.

He'd rather deal with a recognizable, angry Danny than a broken weeping one such as he had seen in the ashes. He was a creature of habit, what could he say?

"Yes, yes. Calm yourself. Jack was a fine man if only for his act of trying to raise you no matter his many faults in even that occupation," Vlad stated, failing to poured on some charm as spite seemed to own his words more than his usually unyielding charisma.

Either way, even if the boy didn't catch the insult, at least Danny wouldn't start crying again. Vlad knew all too well that the little badger had been crying like a mute mouse lately when the boy thought himself alone, and Vlad didn't want to set him off. Today would not allow the boy such silent strength. He would break like an aging dam, but Vlad wanted to press off that emotional explosion for as long as possible.

Danny blinked once in astonishment at the man's effort to give his father a compliment. He suddenly felt tired like he had been readying himself for a fight just to find out there was no sparring partner available for his bombardment. He couldn't help but slump his shoulders forward. Danny didn't really want to fight anyway. He just wanted to be anyone and be anywhere then at that funeral. The thought of putting them into the ground just made their deaths all the more factual. The closer the truth got, the more it hurt. The more he wanted to find a dark place and hide there forever.

Being punched in the face by Plasmius would have been better than facing this.

The bachelor sighed as the silence dragged on, the depression in the air getting heavy. He admired the kid more when he was relentlessly attacking him, not this sad, depressing version. But what else could he expect from a boy who had just lost everything a days ago.

The business man decided to leave Danny alone for a little while so he could tend to his thoughts and finish getting dressed. Vlad had headed to the door and was about to close the door behind him when Danny looked straight at him and offered a weak, faint smile while whispering at an almost inaudible tone, "Vlad?"

"Yes?"

"…Thanks … for the tie."

The word echoed over the room and the millionaire couldn't help but offer the same faint smile. Maybe the little badger wouldn't be so bad to have around after all. The kid seemed actually thankful instead of continually spiteful.

"You're welcome, Danny."

And with that said, Vladimir closed the door listening to the soft click as he left. Maybe this was going to work out after all. Now, he just had to tell Daniel about him being his godfather. Today wasn't the right time though. Maybe tomorrow when the teenager had ran out of tears. Or, for his sanities' sake, maybe in a month or two so he'd never have to come out and say the half-a was now his responsibility, and the two of them could come to a wordless agreement.

…

It might have been a lovely day …

The sun could have been shining and made the last two hours a little less painful for the mourners, but it refused to drop its dreary-draped sky which was hiding the sun. The world perhaps thought it was offering a setting to fulfill today's sorrowful task of placing bodies away into the ground, away from the sun forever.

Vlad thought the world cruel for her presentation. A bright day would press away sorrow faster than this mist that seemed to creep up from the graves.

Looking away from the tinted graveyard, the millionaire turned his attention to the boy that had just stepped out of the limousine after him, the wind blowing softly in the boy's hair and hiding his eyes.

Little did the millionaire know that the teenager was secretly glad for the wind and how it hid his eyes; Danny had managed to not cry throughout the entire service but the burial was right in front of him: the mud, the dirt, and the grass surrounding holes to the underworld where the caskets would be lay. Was he strong enough to hide all his emotions, ball them up and place them in a silver vial?

Could he keep his ever whimpering breath and every last tear that was threatening to spill out of his sockets away and hard pressed?

If you would have asked Vlad that question, he would have doubted Daniel could deny his emotions much longer. Not that Vlad would judge him for an act of sorrow. He expected it.

Unnoticed by the boy, Vlad's eyes had been shifting at Danny for the past two hours, waiting for that moment of weakness, frailty. The elder man had yet to see one tear. All the teenager had done was close his eyes from time to time as if struggling for breath, petting his injured arm during the service as if trying to comfort a scarred part of himself.

Danny's eyes, so concerned with keeping dry, did not seem to even grace the measures that Vlad had gone to make sure the funeral was worthy of a queen and her daughter… and her stooge.

Unknown to the teenager, Vlad had even considered having Jack cremated or put in a Fenton Casket instead of the finely crafted and handmade cherry wood one, imported flowers adorning the top of each wooden box. A bride would have been envious at the lengths Masters had gone to make this day lovely… as if Maddie was his Lady of Shallot, forever beautiful in his mind as she flowed down the river called Styx. If only he could have had an open casket to kiss her like in a fairy tale though he knew she would not rise.

One cannot kiss a burnt corpse.

Vladimir looked away from the caskets at the thought though his gaze was quickly drawn upward … a light drizzle had started.

Damn, the flower petals were all going to get wet.

Deciding it was already cold enough emotionally today. Vald decided that neither of them needed to get wet as he immediately reached back into the limousine and grabbed his umbrella, lifting his head to look up at the three black and silver hearses in front of them. No, there were not five though Vlad had offered to fund all of the funerals. Sam, the goth girl if he recalled correctly, was Jewish and her parents had different wants for her passing, and Tucker's family wanted a small funeral. They had at least been kind enough to invite Danny if the boy was up to coming.

Courteously, Vlad had dismissed their invitation stating that Daniel was far too weak to not only deal with three funerals in one day but a forth as well? The Follies had seemed to understand and told Masters that Tucker was being buried on the other side of town, next to his grandfather. Vlad had made sure to note the location so, though Daniel would be enraged in not being allowed to go, he could still make his peace with the dead companion on a later date.

Shutting the limo door behind the boy, vaguely listening to the other cars stall behind them and park, Vlad finally popped open the umbrella to shield him and the stricken teenager from the light drizzle. At least it hadn't become a full blown downpour yet though the clouds above were looming with a threatening weight.

"Vlad?"

The elder half-ghost was suddenly stirred from his thoughts, looking down at the teenager that had not met his gaze since they had both left the hospital.

"Yes?"

"I … I can't do this," Danny suddenly choked, jerking himself back towards the car, ready to jump in and hide behind the dark-tinted windows. Vlad knew the calm would die though. He was young once and though now days he was good at burying emotions, he would never forget his youth when he had yet to start his calloused heart.

Today was Danny's first lesson in a calloused heart, as all children seemed to learn, and there would be no hiding from it. Vlad's arm was quick and stern as he stalled the retreat, grabbing Danny by his middle and pulling the mourner toward his own stiff form to make it look like a comforting action to the coming crowd more than a restraining movement.

Danny took a few panicked breaths as his finger's dug into Vlad's arm before he noticed the man didn't seem pained by having his fleshed clawed. Vlad was stern and still. It was obvious there would be no dissuading Vlad's decision.

Giving into defeat easily, a small whine escaped the teenager as he slumped against the other's form slightly, slowly turning his head upward as he met the still gaze of the older man with his red, puffy eyes unable to speak another word or even demand release.

Vlad sighed, noticing the look of defeat in Danny's eyes, and released the teenager. Here it came… which was one reason he brought a fluffy arsenal to assist him. Grabbing the teenager's hand before he started wiping his running nose and coming tears on his thousand dollar suit, Masters pulled a Kleenex pack out of his pocket and gave one to the teenager who made a quick job of removing his tears. Hiding his shame.

"Danny," stated Vlad in a soft tone.

The teenager didn't look back up at the request though. He couldn't bring himself to look the elder half-a in the eye after showing such weakness. He felt like a coward.

"Look at me," continued the older man, his tone almost comforting more than demanding now.

Despite himself, Danny reluctantly did as he was told, tears threatening to come again when he saw that Vlad's eyes were just a little red as well. He must have been close to crying for Maddie. He doubted the villain would cry for his father.

Vlad's voice showed no weakness though as he spoke, "It's best not to run away, little badger. They would want you to be here, and we both know you're stronger than this."

Masters smoothly put a comforting hand on the teenager's shoulder and led him forward, the umbrella echoing popping noises from the rain falling down. Daniel would regret this until the day he died if he didn't go and there was enough regret in life the way it was. Vlad knew from experience and decided to spare the teenager at least one regret.

The grasses swayed silently as the two of them made their way across the grounds, headstones watching with a deep stillness. Danny had stopped panicking and now his energies were focused on the flowers he was now holding (courtesy of Vlad) the teenager's grip threatening to crush the roses' thin stalks. If one could see the boy's face, they'd also see Danny's mouth moving quickly, mouthing over and over again that he could do this.

Finally, his chant stopping, the two mourners stalled above the holes in the earth. For some unknown reason, Danny knew he couldn't stare at his shoes the whole time. He had to look down at the caskets that were to be lowered which now held the burnt corpses of the family he held so dear.

Danny didn't get it. How could anyone just stand there in such pain and by some means watch their loved ones be buried beneath the soil ... forever ... to be forgotten. And one way or another he was supposed to stand right next to his worst enemy in the world and allow that man to comfort him.

Finally, Vlad's hand tugged at Danny's shoulder and he looked up at Vlad, already knowing what was going to happen.

This was the moment… he had to look down at the caskets he kept just out of his line of sight. His head felt so heavy yet he slowly lifted it, hands trembling. He had to look. He had to see his family's eternal beds.

Slowly, his ocean blue eyes slowly dragged upward from the grass and he felt his breath catch as he stared at the heavy wood, the wilting flowers that danced on top the caskets, and the smooth metal handles that locked them in their eternal graves. That was all it took, one glance, and his face was quickly drowned in tears as he shook with grief. Vlad silently rubbed the teenager's back as he whispered something unintelligible, but the boy's sobbing only grew.

This had to be a nightmare, a twisted nightmare. Why couldn't he wake up?

Yet, despite the crying patron, the pastor started off as if the boy's sounds were non-existent. His words enveloped the rest of the crowd but the monologue just washed over Vlad and Danny, those verses offered not comfort to their bleeding hearts. To them, it was just sound.

Vlad, looking for a distraction from his inner pain, surveyed the crowed as everyone bowed their heads for the prayer. A few people were actually crying. He also noticed a few students with their parents. The elder man guessed that they had been forced to go more than voluntarily went since they looked to be more Danny's age than Jazz's. The few to the front all looked too stuck-up to come of their own accord, though the African American girl kept giving Danny a sorrowful look more so than the caskets as if she had come for him.

Valerie… Yes, he remembered her.

The bachelor met her gaze for a moment, thinking how skilled that girl was, before he continued to look around until someone whispered in his ear, "This is usually the time you bow your head."

Vlad started, quickly glaring to his side and was caught off guard by the slim yellow sunglasses that stared back at him. The man merely smiled.

"Mr. Smith, this is a highly inappropriate conversation for the moment," whispered Vlad to the man over his shoulder.

Mr. Smith merely smiled and bowed his head, allowing his sunglasses to hang on the edge of his nose, struggling not to smile. It was taking all the energy he had not to start laughing … the irony, him in a graveyard. Not that anyone else would get the joke.

The pastor's parting prayer pasted over the crowd like a silent wind and then … the heavy rain finally danced over the scene. It was still technically a light rain, but still heavier than the drizzle they had been getting, a happy rain perhaps which was bound to be harboring some rainbows later. Danny, though, felt like it was mocking and cold. The waters soon swept into the hollow graves as the caskets were slowly sent to their end. Danny, unable to take it anymore, collapsed into the mud and covered his face with had hands as sorrow overcame him. He made no attempt to hide his grief as his cries grew in strength, his whimpers growing into stifled screams.

Vlad did not heed the boy in his release. Instead, he merely knelt beside the depressed figure. Only after a few minutes did he pull Danny into an awkward hug as he tried to hush and comfort him, but the teenager merely pushed him away … the boy wanted to be alone in his pain.

"God… that is pathetic. He's getting a rich uncle or something now I hear. He should be glad to be rid of the stooges," sneered Dash, making sure no one but his small group of popular kids heard him, but little did he know that Vlad's ghost abilities amped his normal senses allowing him to hear every word. "Always knew he was a baby so I shouldn't be surprised."

Kwan whimpered a small complaint, but was punched in the arm for his troubles. Paulina merely rolled her eyes at the whole display as she flipped her hair, indifferent to the crying Fenton as she looked away from the crying boy, stating, "Let's get out of here, black is so not my color. Plus, all these dead people around are making me look bad."

"Sure babe," Dash nodded before grabbing her around the waist, pulling her away from the rest of the group. A few of the other popular kids looked around quickly to make sure their parents weren't watching and then made a dash after the popular couple who were leaving in such a disrespectful way. The caskets weren't even in the ground yet! Vlad's insides growled with disgust. Those spoiled brats had a lesson coming to them.

A hard lesson about the dead.

Vlad, feeling vengeful, quickly called upon an invisible Plasmius clone as he remained in his human form. It was a new trick he had developed and was planning on using on Danny in their usual pending battles … but he doubted there would be any more of those. Danny had no reason to fight him anymore… Maddie was gone.

Shaking off the depressing thought, Vlad closed his eyes and felt his other half that was following the teenagers over the hill. It only took a moment and then there were quickly unmistakable screams for help, "Eeekkk! Ghost!"

Opening his eyes, the millionaire smiled wickedly to himself. He couldn't see the haunting, but Vlad knew that at this very moment his clone was probably throwing tombstones at the teens. The half-ghost merely offered a dark smirk as he helped Danny to his feet, allowing the child to use him for support as the youth continued to sob throughout the end of the service.

That showed those little brats. Its ill practice to speak badly in front of the dead, thought Vlad as he offered a sad smile to Daniel, the teenager slowly calming down though it was definitely not an end to the crying … And Vlad doubted it would be any time soon.

XXX

Paw07: Hello there hi ho hi ho it's off to work we go! – Here is a good reason never to leave your computer unguarded when your younger sister is around. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter; it's supposed to be sad and depressing. Bye and thanks for the reviews. Gosh, I'm so boring well lets … Look! Flying squirrels!

Edit: Lengthened this chapter by about two or three thousand words. Same scenes, just more.

**(Revised September 2013)**


	5. Secret Revealed

Chapter 5: Secret Revealed

The funeral was over, the papers were sighed, and yet Vlad seemed to be missing something. It was an emptiness that he could not name yet it continued to eat at his mind. What was it? Wait … he needed to say something to someone? Who was he suppose to … ?

"Mr. Masters?" Lancer appeared before the millionaire pulling him from his thoughts. The balding man's brow was pulled downward giving his face a sorrowful expression. …

"Um … What? Oh yes. Hello," said the millionaire, a little discombobulated. Masters had been at the funeral banquet for the past half hour taking condolences from the guests, yet he hadn't remembered a single person's face or soft words exchanged until now. True, Danny really should be doing this since it was his family … but that would be far too cruel. So Vlad took it upon himself to speak for the silent child, which currently sat quietly behind him at the table just poking at the chicken on his plate, unable to speak or eat. The distraught millionaire couldn't help but notice that Lancer threw a quick glance over his shoulder to stare at the teenager, the teacher's frown only growing as well as the pity in the man's eyes. That wasn't the first time the bachelor had seen that look today and he doubted it to be the last.

Lancer, ignorant the Vlad's growing glare, stared at Danny. The boy was broken. Any person could simply tell that by just looking at the way he held his form. Daniel was so loose and uncoordinated like string that had come unbound, a puppet that had lost his strings. He just seemed to slump back in his chair with this glazed over look in his eyes. It was as if he was not seeing what was going on around him; his mind was lost to him and everyone around him.

The teacher looked away. It hurt to see one of his students this way. It hurt even more to know that next Monday he'd have to go back to school knowing that he'd be four students short. Lancer now understood that Danny would not, _never_, be coming back to Casper High.

"It's very nice to finally meet you Mr. Master and if I'm not to bold in stating, you're a fine man to be taking Danny in like this," said Lancer in a sad tone.

Suddenly, the clicking of Danny's fork had stopped; he was listening.

"I mean, most single men would have hit the road and sent the poor child to a foster home if they were just suddenly hit with information like that. Please, take good care of Danny. It was a joy to have him in class … ever if he was a slight trouble maker," the teacher finished with a mournful smile trying to calm the other man. Vlad seemed to have this scared look in his eye, but who wouldn't be scared knowing that they had a child to take care of now?

Click!

Vlad's eyes widened with alarm when he finally realized what he had forgotten. Oh god! How could he forget to do something so important? This was bad! He hadn't told Danny that he was his _Godfather_! _Bad! Bad_! The bachelor swallowed. He had to smooth this over quickly before Danny heard another word. He couldn't let the kid find out like this.

Vlad cleared his throat and then spoke in a calm yet demanding tone, "Mr. Lancer, why don't we chat about this later."

Lancer continued on as if Vlad hadn't said anything, "It moved me to tears when I found out Danny had no one to take him in, but I was quickly over swept with joy when I found out he had a godfather. I think you'll make a wonderful father figure Mr. Masters."

A loud click came from behind Vlad … Danny had dropped his fork and the bachelor heard the boy's breathe catch. Vlad turned slightly to look at the teenager behind him. Danny was just staring at him with a flabbergast expression unable to neither think nor breathe. Mr. Lancer of course hadn't noticed the sudden tension in the air and continued to ramble on, "Danny never once mentioned you. Of course, Danny never was very social, except with his friends."

"_You're lying_!"

Half of the banquet stopped shoving their faces and stared at the fuming teenager as his yell echoed over the room.

"You … are a liar!" said the teenager again, his voice a growl.

Mr. Lancer looked flabbergasted for a moment, which quickly turned to a look of confusion when Danny looked at his teacher directly and whispered, "Please, say you're lying."

Lancer looked at Masters who quickly squared his shoulders though he held a look of regret. He didn't want Danny to find out this way and spoke softly, "Danny, I was meaning to tell you, but the best time hadn't yet presented itself."

"Presented itself! It should have never presented itself! You should have never presented yourself!" Danny angrily stood up, knocking the chair over. The teenager stood there a moment panting heavily and then, without warning, he pushed past both Vlad and Lancer as he ran out into the downpour outside.

"Daniel! Wait!" yelled the millionaire, his legs quickly storming after the teenager. Damn these guests and their big mouths, but he had bigger fish to fry.

Lancer stood there a moment in shock as the glass door slammed open, the white haired man running after the distraught teenager. It seemed that Vlad hadn't told him Danny of his guardianship though it seemed obvious. It seemed that he let the cat out of the bag.

Great gumballs of Candy War. He had caused this little outburst, hadn't he? Oops wouldn't even be able to cover this. The older man swallowed and decided to chase after the racing pair making sure to grab an umbrella and raincoat in his hast, "Wait for me!"

…

His feet just led him. Danny had no idea where he was running too nor how long he had been running, but he had to get away. He couldn't be in that place for another minute! When those words left Lancer's mouth he suddenly felt all filthy as if a combination of dirt and blood was heavy in his hair and cloths

Perhaps the rain would wash away this horrible filth that seemed to be clinging to him … this truth.

The enraged teenager found his feet halting; his breath was sticking in his chest in panicked little gasps. He decided to give into the weariness of his flesh and leaned against a brick wall in an alleyway. The cold stone kissed his back as he slid down sitting on the soaking wet cement, while simultaneously pulling his legs into his chest. His lungs continued to sting as the rain bled through his cloths causing him to shiver horribly.

_What the hell just happened in there … was it really that big of a surprise? Why else would Vlad be here taking care of you and making sure that you had a suit for the funeral as well as setting up the funeral arrangements; getting your stuff from your school locker; nagging the doctors every few minutes to make sure you were comfortable … sitting by your bedside as you withered in pain … comforting you in the rubble … keeping the sorrow out. Why else would he do those things? You should be happy he's here!_

Danny whimpered at the thoughts that were overtaking his mind and dug his fingers into his hair as he tried to hide those facts and that truth from himself. He was losing it. W-was this the first step toward being Dan?

Thankfully, for the boy's sanity, a sudden flapping of wings filled the evening air drowning out his suffocating thoughts. He looked upward for whatever was making the sound and there it hovered, a winged eye the size of a grapefruit. It had soft bat-like wings and a purple cat-like pupil, which was steadily focused on Danny. Creepy would be a light way to put it.

"What are you? Are you a ghost? Did you come here for a fight, because you'll soon be getting one if you don't leave NOW!" cried Danny willing to take his anger out on any moving thing right now.

The eyeball merely glared at him. If it had lips it would have been smiling.

"Oh, the poor little thing," the creature mocked. "So sad and broken that he can only suppress his own feelings by picking on an eyeball like me."

"Shut up!" Danny grabbed the nearest object he could find and thrust it at the creature. It missed and landed with a loud clunk against a neighboring wall.

The eyeball seemed to laugh at this as if flutter about the shivering child in a mocking manner, purring, "His mommy and daddy are gone and now he's all alone; a drowned little rat that nobody loves or cares for. Worthless in a word."

"I'm not worthless!" yelled Danny as he rose to his feet ready to smash the little punk into oblivion … but he suddenly stopped and slowly sank back down into the water as the words dug into his flesh like a thousand little knives. That thing was right, wasn't he? He was worthless! What kind of hero can't save his own family?

"I am, aren't I?"

"You're as worthless as you allow yourself to be dear child," the winged creature's mocking tone quickly disappeared as if it had only been mocking the half ghost to see the full extent of his sorrow. It sighed heavily as it flew away from the tiny figure perching itself onto a windowsill as he watched the teenager's reaction. It was just what he was hopping for. The living were always so predictable with their emotions and such.

"Then I must be scum!" Danny's shivering form suddenly stood up and he slammed his fist into the brick wall behind him. He stood there panting as he watched blood slowly dripped down his knuckles and down the red stone of the building, painting it a darker shade. After a moment or two he pulled away caring little as he watched blood drip into a puddle below, his tone dark, "Lower than the earth under my feet! I couldn't even save my own family, my friends!"

"The earth ... worthless?" questioned the eye as it watched the blood drip onto the pavement, "Then you must be more valuable then any king for the earth is anything but worthless."

Danny threw a threatening glare. What was this idiot eyeball rambling about now?

Catching the glare, the eyeball recoiled a little and added, "What I mean is that the earth is our mother. She alone feeds and houses us. She is the home of ghost and human alike. Without the earth we would be nothing."

Danny was finally able to calm himself. But he didn't quite understand why this freak was comforting now after making him feel like dirt, but who was he to be picky at a time like this? Comfort was comfort, dare it come from a talking eyeball or death himself, "What do you want?"

The ghost-eye chuckled … _gotch-ya_! "The question you should ask is what do you, not I, want?"

Danny's eyebrow twitched, "Quit playing mind games!"

"I'm not. You're the one who is playing mind games," the creature tried to keep a serious tone to his voice. "You don't even know what you want anymore."

Danny crumbled against the brick wall behind him and slowly slid to the ground as he tried to hide his present tears, his words soft, "I know what I want."

Suddenly looking miserable, the rain not helping his visage, Danny's bleeding hand slowly pulled the burnt photograph he had found in the rubble out of his pocket and stared at it longingly. This is all he wanted.

"But what you want you can no longer have," whispered the creature softly was it landed beside the ailing boy.

"Then I don't want anything … nothing but silence. A soft death."

The eyeball silently freaked. If this little brat died, he'd be in so much trouble! The creature couldn't help but stumble over his words as he spoke, "Wait! Lets not start having suicidal ideas here."

Danny looked at the winged eyeball with his swollen red eyes, wiping away another tear as the bat continued in his explanation, "What I mean is that you can have the next best thing."

"And what supposedly is the next best thing?" bit back Danny.

"… Revenge," said the creature with a hiss as his eyelid became a slit as if the winged being was smiling.

"Revenge … on who?" mumbled the broken boy as he stuffed the picture back into his pocket.

"The fires, the taker of your greatest treasure."

An image of the flaming menace flickered before his eyes. Danny quickly grabbed the eyeball and squished its small body against the pavement as he yelled, "What do you know about that monster!"

The eyeball flapped its wings with such panic that the claw-like appendages on the tips ripped deeply into the teenagers face. Blood slowly oozed out of the wound as the boy let the creature go with a stifled yelp. The eyeball flew a safe distance away then continued, "I can tell by your reaction that you agree."

Danny slumped his head forward whipping the blood from his cheek, "It doesn't matter. I couldn't defeat him then, so what makes you think I can now?"

"You have Vlad," said the beast as the half ghost blushed with anger. The child probably wanted nothing to do with the other.

"That bastard's not my father! Why would I ask him for anything?"

The eyeball pretended to think on the question and then stated in a know-it-all-tone, "I didn't say he had to fight your battles, but he could _teach_ you how to fight your own. He is a force to be reckoned with, I understand."

"My own …" Danny stalled for a moment in his verbal argument. This was odd. Why was this eyeball buttering him up like this unless and he voiced such, "Hey, wait a minute? Who sent you?"

The eyeball squeaked in panic, "No one! Absolutely no one! I came of my own accord and was just in the area!"

"Was it Vlad? Does that jerk want me to be a good boy?" Danny just knew that slimy jerk would try something like this. Why he hadn't caught onto this obvious trick earlier was beyond him.

"Vlad?" The eyeball stared at Danny with complete surprise and then laughed like a psychopath on crack as it flapped around madly. A swing and a miss.

The teenager's expression of rage quickly turned into one of confusion as he muttered, "So … it isn't Vlad."

"NO," laughed the small beast, "my dear boy. Just remember this: you may hate Vladimir Masters, but he's the King of the chess set."

The eyeball then laughed mockingly and flew off. His Master's game was more fun then he could have possible imagined and he had just moved the first pawn onto the board.

"Hey, wait! I'm not done!" Danny yelled at the creature as it flew away into the night sky, but it was already gone causing him to bark, "Fine. I'll just have to fly to catch you. I'm going ghost!"

Nothing happened. Not a spark or even a trace of light.

"What the? _Going ghost_!"

Nothing … nothing at all.

The teenager stared down at his hands as a silent fear overcame his senses, his throat tight as he whispered, "Why aren't my ghost powers working?"

Well at least he wouldn't have to worry about becoming Dan, but that didn't help calm him from the mental breakdown that was about to occur. Something had just occurred to him. He hadn't had a single phasing accident or a ghost breath ever since the fire. Not one breathe from Vlad, the eyeball … nothing.

"Wha… What's wrong with me?"

…

"Mr. Masters wait!" Lancer grabbed the frazzled looking man by the wrist halting him his tracks. Vlad had been running through the alleys and streets for the past half an hour, desperately looking for Danny. He was soaked to the bone and breathing rather heavily.

"Let go!" Vlad snapped and pulled at his wrist. When Lancer didn't let go he thought about going intangible, but held back the urge.

"Calm down …" Lancer said as he pulled an umbrella out from under his rain coat and gave it to the shivering man. "Here, before you catch your death."

Vlad would never admit he was cold, but he was freezing so he took the umbrella without complaint. Why did he care anyway?

Knowing that he had caught Vlad's attention, finally, Lancer stated calmly, "Okay … so lets walk, not run, and find Danny together," Lancer swallowed before he said the next line, "I think you need someone to talk too."

Vlad glared from under his umbrella, "Are you calling me a nutcase!"

The millionaire put his face close up to Lancer's in a most threatening manner. When the other man didn't back down, Vlad finally understood the seriousness in what he had said and pulled away with a sigh. He really did take Danny's fruit loop comments too seriously. Regardless, maybe Lancer was right. He was acting a bit like a nutcase. Here was a running through the pouring rain looking for a boy he wanted to kill a few weeks ago. Sounded pretty nutcase-y to him.

"No! Mr. Masters… I mean Vlad. You seem to be under a lot of stress with Danny around. You need to calm down. Stress is not a good thing to bottle up. Trust me, I'm a teacher I would know."

"I'm not stressed!" yelled Masters as he started to walk down the next alley.

"Then why have you for the past half an hour ran around like a mad man?" stated Lancer matter-o-factly as he followed Masters pace.

Vlad stopped in his tracks and slumped his shoulders in response. It was true. He'd been a nervous wreck for the past week, but he did his best to hide it, if only for Danny's sake. Vlad swallowed his pride and allowed the sorrow of his soul to pour forward as he murmured in a tired tone, "It's just a lot harder then I thought."

The half ghost then put a hand over his eye as a shaky breath escaped his throat. That simple sentence was so revealing to himself that he could barely stand to say it. Lancer, in response, slowly put a hand on Masters's shoulder and listened patiently as Vlad began to shake.

His words were soft, "I've been trying so hard to comfort him in his time of sorrow when my own is eating me alive. I can't sleep. I'm never hungry. I can't even think clearly … I can't do anything … I'm just so scared I'll screw up … I can't let that kid down, not when he needs me so much. He's all that is left of Maddie."

Lancer was silent for a moment, his tone strong, "Mr. Masters … you're doing just fine. It takes a strong man to put another before himself. Yes, there will be times you'll mess up, but that's to be expected. I can tell you're a good man and that Danny couldn't be with anyone better."

Vlad let a sigh of relief escape his lungs, accepting the compliment. Lancer merely smiled and they continued forward. A weight of sorrow had been slightly lifted from his shoulders and Vlad felt a light of hope gleam in his chest. Maybe everything was going to be okay … after he beat Danny into the ground that is.

…

"Your will has been upheld Master," squeaked the winged eyeball as he flew into the lawyer's office from the window. He pelted water everywhere as he shook his form as if he was a dog. The lawyer's eye twitched with annoyance, but he ignored the urge to hurt the little beast.

"Very good Gibgit and what of the older half-ghost. I mean Mr. Masters," Smith smiled softly as he stared at a golden box on his desk, which had Greek symbols carved in the top filled with delicate black stone.

"Well… about that Master."

Smith almost groaned. He knew that tone.

"Don't tell me you didn't talk to him?" growled the lawyer as he tensed up. He hated it when his plans didn't go the way he wanted them too.

"It was cold and raining! My eye ached and -"

"Your eye ached!" Smith flung his glass of wine at the eyeball and was about to get up and squish the creature under his foot, but he resisted the urge and instead dug his nails into his desk as his eyes glowed threateningly. "You do understand how important this is to me right? To everyone!"

"Yes Master," whined the small beast as it shrank into itself.

Smith, staring at the pathetic form, groaned and pinched his nose, leaning his head back as he grumbled, "Just… just come here. I have a new plan."

XXX

Paw07: What does Smith want? I could state what he wanted was a sundae, but then I might be lying. You're probably wondering who Smith is anyway right? Well I'll tell you a secret … Smith isn't his real name!

Now another issue of why not to leave your computer unguarded. Here's a word from my evil sister: _Just a fact don't leave your story open so people like me can write stupid lines that are very entertaining on it. Plus when it takes you ten minutes to see them the humor isn't as funny. Well, actually it is. Mahahahahahahahahmaaaaaahaaaaaaaaaaaa. Flee why flee. Fleeing is for the scared._

**(Revisions August 2013)**


	6. Gone

Chapter 6: Gone

"Oh, God. Oh, no. This is bad. What am I going to do?" Danny paced back and forth in the alley, muttering like a madman. "If I can't go ghost, then I can't get my revenge and," a thought finally occurred to him, "What if Vlad finds out? … Oh, hell. He'll… _He won't find out_. Yeah. I'll just use my brain instead of my fists for once … God, I'm out of practice."

Danny continued his ranting until he heard a soft chorus of voices. He quickly ducked behind a dumpster in paranoia and listened. Heavy footsteps were soon followed by the figures of Lancer and Vlad. The teenager started to panic as he watched his godfather … Ugh, what a nasty word. Thankfully, the older man didn't seem to notice him and Danny released a breath he hadn't even noticed he had been holding. He was afraid that Vlad would notice him, but it seems that he hadn't; probably due to his lack of powers. The teenager tilted his head forward towards the opening between the wall and the dumpster, listening contently. It was best to know if Vlad had any more surprises that he was planning to spring on him.

"So when are you leaving?" said Lancer as he readjusted his yellow hat.

"Tomorrow … I mean there's nothing to pack and I think the memories that surround this place might be too painful for him. Plus, in his state of mind, well … I just think it's best."

"Where will Danny be moving too?"

"Wisconsin. I have a castle there."

Lancer merely raised an eyebrow, asking, "Why so soon?"

Vlad shifted his umbrella to his other hand out of nervousness, having just gotten the _teacher gaze_ that all people still cringe over in adult hood, "I think all the commotion in this town is a bit unnerving …for the both of us. So a few quiet weeks at my house may calm things down. A new environment to adapt to if you will. And the sooner, the better."

"Moving might be hard on him you should -"

Danny blocked out the voices and fell into his own thoughts as his back made contact with the wall behind him. He sighed deeply and buried his face in his hands. He knew he was going to live with Vlad, but since he had only known for a few minutes it hadn't yet sunk in. Danny was moving away from his home … his hope… and closer to _Dan_.

No, no… he knew of the fate that would happen if he gave into sorrow. Besides, the future was different. His parents had lived longer then that fate and … and the demon had never been there. Regardless of his promise never to be dark Dan, the teenager fell deeply into his thoughts, barely able to keep from drowning in them.

…

Vlad was becoming unnerved because they hadn't found Danny yet, but he was glad to be in Lancer's company. The man had a calm sense of being about him. No wonder he was a teacher. In fact, while talking with the teacher about Danny's recent Math grades a thought occurred to him, _What if there was more of me_? Simple multiplication, no? Vlad smirked as his invisible ghost clones scattered to help in his search, dripping out of his shadow and into the pavement like worms before they emerged into the air away from Lancer's line of sight. It was best not to scare ones company away after all.

"Skittles, should have thought of that sooner," one of his clones whispered before diving down a separate alley.

…

If Danny's ghost powers had been working he might have noticed there were Plasmius clones all about, but since he was now inept he hadn't noticed the replicated Plasmius's running amuck. So in his need to rid himself of this sinking feeling, the teenager no longer thought he should keep hidden.

Danny slowly got up feeling hatred and sickness in his stomach, but he had to worry about that sick feeling later. Right now he had to worry about his ghost powers. He was powerless and keeping that information from Vlad was number one priority. Who knows what that monster would do to him if he found out? Chinese water torturing, cement boots into a rather large lake, or forcing him to watch every Packer's game ever record … in marathon style. Anyone of those things could be easily done and he'd be powerless to stop it against a powerful half ghost. Danny slammed his fist into the dumpster and jumped back with a yelp. He forgot he had bruised it earlier.

"Danny?"

The teenager jumped and ducked behind the dumpster. He had forgotten he'd slipped out of his hiding place. Danny quickly peaked around the corner to where Vlad and Lancer had been. He barely could see them, but he could have sworn that was Vlad's voice he had just heard. Maybe he was going mad too! Oh, that was a definite sign that God hated him … two curses for one sin.

"Danny!" Plasmius's face suddenly came around the corner of the dumpster and peered down on the boy with a sour expression. The teenager stared at him with shock. _Okay, was this madness or real_? He thought for a second. _Cursed remember … of course it's the real Plasmius. A fake one wouldn't befit your punishment_ … and so the boy's expression turned into one of hatred. He was about to curse at the ghost for scaring the stuffing out of him, when something struck him. He had no ghost powers. That meant no ghost breath.

Bloody Mary!

Plasmius wasn't stupid. He would certainly notice the missing ghost breath. Danny quickly slapped his hands over his mouth and turned his back on the ghostly presence. Praying he was quick enough for Plasmius not to notice.

"Hey!?" gripped the millionaire as the kid turned and ignored him, the half ghost's hand instinctively reaching for the boy, but was unable to grab him, "Dang dumpster. Wait … I'm a ghost."

Plasmius almost slapped himself once in the forehead for acting like an idiot and then phased through the dumpster, pulling Danny out of his hiding place. The ghost cringed as he did this, thinking that Danny was going to backlash and blast him. When the child merely remained limp Vlad spoke, "What's up with you? Running off into the rain like that. Am I not good enough to be your Godfather?"

Danny merely glared at the older man and continued to hold his hands over his mouth. Vlad just continued trying to keep his cool, his lip twitching as he growled, "Am I not good enough to talk to now?"

When Danny didn't answer, the ghost became a bit enraged, barking, "Fine, do you want to fight first and then talk after I have defeated you, because with your injury I promise I will win."

The teenager twitched at this and removed his hands from his mouth, stuttering, "Plasmius … um, I …I."

Danny started panicking, How was he supposed to hide the truth about his ghost powers if he couldn't fight, for that matter speak?

Vlad's ears merely twitched as Danny's voice got all squeaky and harsh. Plasmius looked at Danny with a slightly troubled expression, asking, "Are you feeling ill or … is it puberty?"

The teenager's voice returned immediately, "It isn't puberty!"

Loving how the teen snapped back, the millionaire let deep chuckle escape his throat, glad everything seemed to be okay. Though the kid still needed to be slapped in the back of the head for running off like that. Danny merely glared daggers in exchange and Plasmius' laugh caught in his throat.

"No, it's about you hiding things from me!"

_Oh right, the reason he ran away in the beginning_.

Clearing his throat, Plasmius spoke calmly, "Danny, listen. I should have told you sooner about me being your legalguardianandgodfatherthing, … but I didn't. I was just worried about your reaction, which I guessed correctly given your current reaction."

Danny growled slightly yet the man continued.

"You were suffering so horribly. I couldn't bring myself … Danny …. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. It was unjust of me," ended Vlad, not an ounce of trickery or lies in his voice. This was only the pure, calm truth.

"Who … who … who are you?" whimpered Danny taking a step back, Plasmius' sincerity creeping him out. Yep, this was madness. He was insane. When was the happy train coming?

"I'm Vlad. Vlad Masters," stated Plasmius with a bit of bite, "Did you hit your head? Your face looks scratched up."

"Liar! The real Vlad would never apologize for anything like this… I'm going mad! I'm insane! When are the white clothed men coming? When? WHEN!" cried Danny as he threw his hands up in the air, laughing. He was going mad. Yes, yes. The thought of living with Vlad or becoming Dan had driven him to this.

SMACK!

"Owh," whined the teenager as he rubbed his head, Plasmius had just swiped him across the top of his head. The teen flopped onto the ground, tears of anger welling in his eyes. _This is real … hallucinations can't hurt people. If he's not a hallucination _… _how dare he hit me! That jerk won't be my father! What right does he have to hit me?_ That hatred was enough to spill his tongue.

"Why the _hell_ did I have to end up with you!" cried the teenager as he jumped to his feet, "You hated my father! You even tried to kill him on more then one occasion. You hated me as well! Why didn't you just leave me alone? I wanted nothing to do with you. You had no right to force me into your life. Vlad … you're a bastard."

The older half-ghost didn't miss a beat, not recoiling at the teenager's harsh language as he murmured, "I know," Danny gawked at him in surprise but Vlad didn't miss a beat, "Now let's get you out of the rain. You don't look well. Clammy at that."

Plasmius put out a hand opening his cape simultaneously so the child could get out of the rain. Danny glared at it for a moment, shivering. He fought with his mind for a moment before he groggily accepted the shelter. He was feeling kind of sick. He had been in the hospital after all. The doctors had been surprised he had been doing so well. Well enough to go to the funeral… maybe that was where his ghost powers were. They couldn't be called to suck a weak body. Regardless of his reasoning though, Plasmius smiled softly and stood there a moment, drying the child's head with the top of his cape. Danny grumbled at the action but didn't pull away. He was cold and strangely it was nice to have some human contact; even if it was his worst enemy.

It was better than a doctors or nurses cold hands.

"Okay, lets go." said the older half ghost once Danny has stopped shivering so violently.

"What?" complained the teenager, peaking from under the cape, "My feet hurt and it's cold. No way am I going to walk."

Plasmius laughed and said in a surprisingly warm tone, "Danny, I think I hit you a bit to hard in the head. We're flying, little badger. Now turn into Danny Phantom and let's get going. You shouldn't be in the rain with your health as it is."

_No flying powers … Hum, I wonder if he'll notice. Need excuse_.

Fumbling for some words to match his thought, Danny squeaked, "Um … I'm air sick."

_Oh … that's priceless. I just as well state I forgot my ghost powers at home._

Plasmius stared at Danny with an I-really-did-hit-him-to-hard-expression, his time questioning, "Air Sick? What are you talking about? You were never airsick when you fought me in our little …quarrels. Now turn into Danny Phantom and let's go. Lancer and the other me will be at the hospital any minute."

"No," the teenager growled as he took a step back out of the cape shelter. The older ghost's eyes glowed and he merely took a step closer to Danny, not put off by the teenager's stubbornness.

"Now," said Plasmuis as he glared down at the teenager who had been so obedient a few moments ago.

Unfortunately, the child merely took another step back, ready to flee as he murmured, "No."

Closing his eyes as he pinched his nose, the older half ghost groaned and decided to try and compromise as he asked, "And why in Sam-Hill not?"

"Uh … I just ate. You know the rule. You can't fly after eating for thirty minutes. So … yeah. Stomach cramps." Danny took another step back, ready to take on the three hundred mile dash. Thank god he had had to have that P.E. workout with Dash before all this madness had begun.

"You didn't even eat at the banquet, you just picked at it," hissed the older being, trying to decide why he cared again, "Plus, it has been well over an half an hour, and the most obvious fact is that we're flying not swimming."

"Then? …Bye." Danny turned footloose and fled in the opposite direction. Sadly, the ground was slippery, causing the young athlete to slip. His burnt arm slammed into the dumpster causing jets of pain to run up his spine. The teenager quickly dropped onto his knees and cried out in agony, gripping his shoulder tightly as he tried to cut off the pain. The older half ghost's irritation was gone in a moment as he ran over to the cringing boy, leaning down next to him as he tried to look at the further injured arm.

"Danny, let me see," begged Vlad as he tried to see what had happened, but Danny only held his arm tighter and whimpered softly.

Only after some insistent probing, Plasmius finally got Danny to stop hugging his arm in a death grip. It didn't look broken since there were no weird angles, but Plasmius pulled the sleeve regardless which revealed bloody bandages. They burn wound hadn't bled through since the first day. A bad sign he was sure. With a heavy sigh, the millionaire knelt down a little farther and tried to pick up Danny in a bridal carry. The teenager merely cried something about not being a baby and tried pulled away like a whipped dog. That didn't stall the godfather though as he stood up with an arm full of angry teenager, the man frowning when he noticed something.

"Daniel, how long have you had this fever?"

"I don't have a fever. Now put me down you kidnapper," Danny struggled weakly, but he knew that even if he did break free he'd have to go to the hospital anyway. His arm had gone completely numb, but Plasmius just held him up despite his complaint. "I'm not a baby."

The millionaire's temper finally broke, the man barking, "Then stop acting like one. You little son of a… ," somehow he managed to hold his tongue, but he wasn't going to let that spoiled brat get away with such rudeness again as he growled, "Hold on."

…

"You let him go out into the rain?" cried Dr. WebKing as he put his pudgy face into Vlad's. The millionaire merely wiped his soaking hair in a towel the nurse had given him. "Well, answer me."

Vlad frowned in distaste at the fat man as he used his business voice, "For your information, he ran out into the rain of his own accord. For the past hour I have been looking for him. The little brat did this to himself, throwing a fit."

Dr. WebKing only huffed in response and returned to his patient. Danny had been stripped of his wet clothing, dried cleaned by some the nurses, dressed in an unflattering hospital gown, and put into his warm hospital bed. The good doctor poked and prodded the wounded arm as the nurse quickly unwrapped the wet bandages. A frown slowly penetrated the man's usually gentle face.

"Nurses, see which stitches popped. You, follow me," said the old man as he stormed out of the room signaling the millionaire to follow.

The soft clapping of the two men's shoes filled the hall as they entered the doctor's office. WebKing quickly poured himself a cup of coffee and then sat down at his desk signaling for Vlad to sit in the opposite chair. Then after taking a sip of his life giving liquid, he said, "Listen here, Mr. Masters. I don't care if you're the pope himself. That boy is not going anywhere, especially not tomorrow."

Vlad halted for a moment as he stared at the man in confusion before slowly sitting down. "How did you know I was planning on leaving tomorrow?"

"Nurses know everything," murmured the man with a wave of his hand, "Now listen carefully Mr. Masters. That boy has obtained a hundred and one temperature, not to mention that little accident with his arm. He's in no condition to leave and I won't take no for an answer. You can leave Vlad Masters, but that poor boy isn't."

Vlad frowned heavily at the doctor's words, and slowly made up his mind as Dr. WebKing drank his cup of coffee. "I guess … I'll just have to leave without him."

XXX

Paw07: WebKing is the name of a woodshop teacher from my high school days. The man has to be 6/4 or something, but he's still a pushover. ;)

**(Revisions August 2012)**


	7. Ten Ways to Kill Vlad Masters

Chapter 7: Ten Ways to Kill Vlad Masters

Danny curled deep into his blankets, careful not to touch his wounded arm as he did so. It was already morning and quite cold judging by the rain that was still pelting against the window. The clobbering of heavy shoes finally forced the teenager out of his dreamlike state. He yawned loudly, kicked off his blankets, and looked over to the bed Vlad usually slept in. Moneybags wasn't there. This would have usually been normal, but his Packers football pillow was missing. The hairs on the back of the teenager's neck rose in distress. Where was he?

After ten minutes of pretending not to care where the millionaire was, Danny finally couldn't take it anymore. Did the man leave him alone finally? Was Vlad mad at Danny for the fight they had yesterday and had decided to keep his distance from him?

"Well, he deserved it. Sneaking up on me with that little surprise," _Not that being someone's godfather was a little thing_, Danny thought bitterly.

"Well … it was kind of obvious, but … that jerk!" Danny continued to talk to himself like someone from a mental institution, until he heard the squeak of wet sneakers. The figure of Thomas slowly passed by and Danny found himself calling out to him.

The tall muscular nurse, Thomas, slipped on his wet sneakers, sliding a foot or two as he came to a halt in front of Danny's door. "What's up, my man? You feeling better?"

"Yeah," said Danny, finally realizing his fever was gone. "Hey Thomas, where's Vlad?"

Thomas scratched at the stubble on his chin for a minute. " … Vlad Masters?"

"Yes."

"Gone." The male figure said simply before his beeper went off. "Whoa, I gotta go. Later kid."

And before Danny could ask any more questions, the nurse had run off with worries of his own.

_Gone_. A simple word on its own, but it was accompanied with so many others. _Reasons? Where? Why?_ Danny hated being lost in his own thoughts, especially recently, so he pulled himself out of bed, ignoring the protests of his aching muscles. Danny then wandered aimlessly around his room still lost in his thoughts. Vlad had left him. It was as simple as that. _Did he abandon him? Was he left alone again? Was he alone forever?_ Danny didn't get it! Not the questions but the fact that he was he sad? Why was he sad? Vlad hated him and he hated Vlad. There were no reasons to be sad or lonely. He should be grateful.

And yet … a silent tear slid down his cheek. Everyone was gone. Vlad was all he had left and deep down a small part of him knew that.

…

Danny sulked for the rest of the day. The same questions kept appearing before Danny's mind, mocking him like a buzzing insect. _Why did Vlad leave without saying a word? Why weren't his ghost powers working? Why did that __flaming__thing__ kill his family and not him? _The most irritating question that seemed to hanging heavily on his mind was, '_why the hell did he miss that irritating jerk_?' These questions frustrated him with such ferocity that he wanted to take the nearest stethoscope and strangle the closest intern with it. So, to ignore the need for an unpleasant murder, Danny continued to walk aimlessly around the hospital, occasionally running into glass doors.

The teenager had just run into a glass door near the waiting room, "Stupid mother ... ugh. Why do they have to make the glass so clean?"

"It isn't clean anymore! It has your oily face print on it."

Danny turned around expecting to see Dash or some other idiot like that to interrupt his sorrows. Instead, it was Mr. Smith. A jerk, yes, but not as jerky as Dash and his peers. The lawyer was seated in one of the waiting room chairs reading the newspaper. Danny rolled his eyes. What his parents saw in this fool was beyond him. Then again, if it had been his dad that hired the man, he could see the reasoning behind it. _Must have been one of mom's off days_.

"Hello, Mr. Smith. What are you doing here?" asked the child suspiciously. "If you want to see Vlad, he left."

"Did he now?" murmured the man in a slightly worried tone which was quickly covered up with a grin, "Well, doesn't matter. I'm here on a case for Mr. Paulson. He wants to sue the sleeping pill company and the whiskey company for making such convincing labels. He says they made him try to commit suicide."

Smith laughed heartily with a fangy smile like a psychopath on the rise.

"Okay …," the teenager answer in a paranoid tone. Danny then sighed and flopped down next to the irritating man. Something about Smith made his insides twitch but at the same time he didn't feel like the man was a threat … just different.

"So, what's bothering you?" said the lawyer as he put down the paperwork he had been looking at.

Shrugging his shoulders, pretending to be entertained by the mute television on the wall, Danny replied, "I just … I'm bored and I was wondering, are you sure Vlad is my Godfather? I would like to know if those signatures are fake."

The strange man seemed surprised for a moment and then laughed, shaking his head. "Don't much care for him, do you?"

Sitting up straighter, Danny found himself relieving some of his worries onto the other. "No! I don't know why mom and dad left me to him. Lancer would have been better! And now, all of a sudden he just leaves without even a word just when I thought he wanted me. Just went I started to believe that I … I wasn't alone."

Shutting up, a little fearful about what he had just said aloud, Smith merely gave Danny a sad smile before reaching into his brief case. He then pulled out what looked like a simple notebook and handed it to the confused teenager. His words were simple and yet oddly comforting. "I'm sure he feels the same way. Adopting can be hard on both parties, but the best thing to do is express yourself in a healthy manner. Since Vlad isn't here, why don't you just write down what you want to say to him … or anyone you can't speak to at the moment or _anymore_."

Danny blinked, surprised by the man's sudden wisdom. There was certainly something odd about him.

"Thanks …"

…

Smith had wandered off shortly after giving Danny the notebook. He had people to see apparently and had left the teenager to his own devices. Danny, not knowing what else to do, soon found himself in the cafeteria with his newly acquired notebook. He could write about anything. His feelings, his fears, his worries, things to say to Vlad when the abandoner returned. And yet, the longer he sat there, starting at those horizontal lines, the more enraged he became that Vlad wasn't here to begin with. So feeling vindictive, the teenager started to write in a vigorous manner.

_Ten Ways to Kill Vlad Masters_

_By Danny Phan … Fenton._

_1) Poison cappuccino with arsenic. (Where do you get that stuff?)_

_2) Push him off a cliff. (Hopefully he doesn't want to fly.)_

_3) Smother him with a pillow. (Hopefully he doesn't phase through it!)_

_4) Drown him in a bathtub. (Hopefully he doesn't blast a hole in the side of the tub and let all the water out.)_

_5) Say you want to learn how to be a man through hunting, shoot him, and claim it was a hunting accident. (Hopefully he doesn't go invisible.)_

_6) Push him into a bed of nails. (Wait … um …blood … ugh.)_

_7) Push him down a flight of stairs! (Wait isn't that for pregnancies?)_

_8) Leave a sub sandwich, with mayonnaise on it, out in the sun and feed it to him. He might get food poisoning and die. (Does Vlad even eat subs?)_

_9) Poison his sushi. (I still need arsenic.)_

_10) Make him watch the speed channel! He'll die of boredom. (Does he even have cable?)_

_11) Make him donate blood. (Wait … how is that deadly?)_

Danny finally slammed his head into the table once he noticed he was on eleven and all of his ideas sucked anyway. Why couldn't he even come up with a good murder scheme? Pluto of the Underworld, had he really been this stupid his whole life and hadn't noticed until now or was it just the drugs they had him hyped up on which left him unable to think clearly.

"Ugh! How do you kill that jerk!"

"Who you going to kill?" chimed a voice that hung over his shoulder, cold breath running along the rim of Danny's ear.

A yip escaped the teenager and he fumbled to grab his list, tucking it under his shirt as if it was criminal evidence. Only once he had captured his breath did Danny look up. Internally, he groaned, "Oh, Smith? Don't you have things to do?"

"Owh? Is the wee one writing angry poetry?" mocked the lawyer as he ruffled Danny's hair, sat down and stole an apple off his table. The lawyer couldn't help but grin as he looked at the old apple. Ah, brought back memories of chaos and the woman who claimed to be the master of it.

"I'm not lonely," huffed the teenager as he wrapped his arms around his stomach, feeling the hard cover chaff slightly.

"I didn't say you were lonely, you did," murmured the lawyer, juice dripping down the side of his chin for a moment, his eyes glint with some kind of hidden amusement.

Danny, sitting back slightly, found he didn't like that gaze at all. It felt as if someone was making plans behind his back in a chess game. And he had no plans on being anyone's pawn.

…

Elsewhere sat a man with a lot on his plate and not of the food stuffs kind. He was a business owner, a scientist, a football fan and an oddity of the supernatural. Not that he was any of those things right now. He was a man … a man struggling to figure out what it meant to be a father, a caretaker in the very least.

It was far more stressful than any business contract.

Sitting before his desk, a day of business having settled in his bones, Vlad leaned into his hands glad for the sturdiness of the wooden desk. He was feeling old and worn … and he didn't know in the least how to make Danny hate him any less. Yet, the silence could not continue. Suddenly, the door slammed open, a cloud of ghostly smoke sneaking on an imaginary wind. Vlad automatically tightened. He had sent all ghosting parties away since his recent discovery about his godson, so this wasn't one of his 'employees'. The millionaire dug his shoes into the Italian carpet at his feet and readied himself for an attack. Instead he got …

"Skulker?"

The hunter came into the room with a grin on his face. He then slammed a ghost cage on the table, scattering Vlad's paperwork to all corners of the room like scattering birds. The millionaire glared at the spirit before him for a moment, a mixture of repugnance and curiosity churning in his stomach. What was _he_ doing here … and what was with the cage of ghost mice and other such degraded spirits? Then it occurred to him as Skulker flopped down in the chair across the way. Some of the spirits refused to leave the house so Vlad had _invited_ the hunter to stay the weekend in order to dispose of such spirits. Skulker was a crazy hunting machine and yet … he made great casseroles. It was a win, win situation, especially since Ghost Chef had been sent packing, temporarily at least.

"I managed to de-ghost the house," added the spirit in his usual cocky tone as he propped his feet up in Vlad's desk, "that is except for the Dairy King. God, he's quick for one so fat!" murmured the hunter in irritation as leaned back in the chair, getting comfortable. There was a moment of silence before the ghost dropped his feet from the desk, leaning forward to ask Vlad a question, as if it were a secret, "Why did you want me to de-ghost the house anyway?"

The half ghost's lip twitched and he leaned back, seeming tired as he grumbled, "I was calling in an interior design… I have to prepare a room for a long term guest."

"A long term … guest, huh?" said Skulker, his expression a little more serious. "Does it have anything to do with a rumor I heard about the other Halfling in existence?"

Vlad knuckles turned white and he wanted to blast Skulker for his uncanny knowledge, but resisted. Making an enemy of the hunter wouldn't be a brilliant idea. Besides, he kind of respected the spirit. "Your perceptiveness is uncanny, Skulker. Pretell, where did you hear that?"

It was silent for a moment, the air whispering the tension in the room. The grin on the hunter's face had dispersed complete at this point like sand in the wind. Dropping his feet off the desk, Skulker eyes glowed darkly, "I have my ways … now tell me. Where is the ghost child? My wall is awaiting his pelt."

The hunter didn't even get to finish his rant though when Vlad suddenly burst to his feet, his form seeming dark and foreboding as the man's eyes glowed, light bleeding away from his face in a display of rage and power.

"For your information Skulker," came the half ghost in an almost sad tone, "Danny isn't here yet. He's presently at the Greenwood Hospital. He _will_ be coming to live here … because there's no one left to take care of him. Personally, I would rather have that power somewhere I can observe and control it anyway then some kind of wild card. So this castle is to be a home to him," Vlad sighed, "even if I have to move and get rid of a room of Packers' memorabilia to make room for him... It's nothing compared to what he's lost."

"Well, I didn't see that coming," said Skulker, slouching in his seat slightly after a moment of thoughtful silence. This was certainly an interesting development. He had noticed Vlad's strange behavior earlier, but he never expected that the old bachelor had become a parent on his trip. The hunter sighed after a brief thought. He was going to regret this, it was best for one to get out of a situation before they could become attached, but it was a bit late for that. Vlad owned more than his loyalty after all.

"And as much as I despise the Halfling, I will help you keep the kid under wraps," said Skulker seriously as his wicked grin returned, Vlad giving him an unconvinced glance. "Besides, who else is going to give you design ideas? Honestly, I think we should plaster the brat's room in dead animals. Skins and stuffed heads abound."

Vlad, despite himself, looked dumfounded for a moment before he threw his head back in a laugh, his smile returning, "Am I decorating a room for Daniel or you, Skulker?"

"Well, if things with the kid don't work out … you can always adopt me," said Skulker with a cheeky grin. "So, can I tell the interior designers what to do?"

The depression chased away for a moment, Vlad slowly stood up and walked over to the one of the painted windows to stare out. The light danced in small triangles, lightly touching his face in an almost a loving manner as if trying to sooth him in some way. The man reached up, his fingers feeling the rough glass. He needed to think.

"Do whatever you think is best Skulker, but please at least appear to be human. I don't need the help being scared off, because right now I need some time to think."

Rising to his own feet, wondering what disguise he could scrounge up, Skulker asked blatantly, "Good or bad thoughts if I may ask?"

Smiling slightly, happy with Skulker's promise for assistance when it came to dealing with Daniel, Masters murmured, "Right now, pleasantly optimistic."

XXX

Paw07: I would just like to add some comments about my earlier reviews: umm, no. If it has not already been established there will be no, as so bluntly replied by a reviewer, man sex. This is more of a father son thing and I'm sorry if I wasn't sending the right message to some of my readers.

**Edit**: The last scene was pretty much trashed and made a lot more serious.

**(Revision August 2013)**


	8. Redecoration

Chapter 8: Redecoration

It was a surprise, to say the least, when a loud hammering sound disturbed Vlad from a pleasant nap on his desk. Swiping away a piece of paper, he looked away with blinking owl eyes. His head automatically turned to the side to ask Daniel why he was making that racket, but then he stalled … he wasn't in the hospital anymore. He wasn't even in the same state as the boy … this was his office, wasn't it?

Suddenly there was more tromping, a metallic voice barking one thing or another … and yet it was a familiar voice.

Rising to his feet, groggily trying to straighten his tie because it seemed like he had fallen asleep in his suit, Vlad slowly opened his office's heavy oak doors and glared out at the main entrance. For a moment, he stared, too tired to truly comprehend why all these people were wandering up and down the stairs with large boxes and furniture. What was going on here?

It wasn't until he saw a huge television being dragged in through the thrown-open front doors that he stumbled out of his office. He tried straightening up as he stalled next to a large figure that looked ex-military save for one detail … the green hair, black glasses hiding the man's eyes… though the barking figure was anything but human.

"You call buying a huge flat screen TV redecorating? I thought you were doing the boy's room," stated the millionaire in a dry sarcastic tone as he threw the ghost a look whom, at the moment, was barking something about surround sound and a home theatre.

The ghost didn't even look over at Vlad as he eyeballed the movers. Only when the main entrance had become slightly less crowded did Skulker speak, his metallic tone obviously not belonging to his disguise. Really, these movers must have been half blind not realize how inhuman Skulker was; some of his guise just looked like heavy foundation use.

Where did he even get foundation?

"I am! I am also setting up a home theatre with all the fixings so that you can have a mocking expression of _family time_," countered Skulker as he titled his sunglasses down slightly, his eyes glowing behind his weak disguise.

"… Excuse me?" said the millionaire with a questioned remark as he stared at the new white, leather couch and matching chairs that were slowly moved into the new family room. What happened to his themed couches and his Packer cut outs that had been in that room?

"You heard me," stated the ghost as he pointed up the stairs, a king's mattress heading up the stairs with a point of a finger.

"Vlad you are a fricken millionaire and you don't even have cable. The only thing that even resembles entertainment of a visual kind is that stupid theater that plays Packers reruns," the ghost cringed at that thought. He had stayed once at the castle for about a week and had grown bored so he watched them … again and again. Never again.

"I'm doing you and the welp a huge favor by adding the family room," Skulker added duly.

"Welp?" murmured the man as he raised a brow.

Skulker took a step forward and eyed the room's growing presentation, "The ghost child. It is a well known fact that normal American teenagers can't survive without television. They apparently can have breakdowns if the impute of useless knowledge is denied too long."

Despite it being early, his cloths wrinkled and his morning coffee not yet in his hand, Vlad actually cracked a smile and chuckled darkly at the frog's lack in knowledge. "Is that so?"

"Yes, now I have two words for you: new couch," said Skulker as he headed into the new family room. "Watch me abuse it."

Vlad bared his teeth as he watched the metallic spirit flop down and turn on the newly set up television, the introduction of the _Exorcist_ quickly playing in the background, "You really are not going to sit on the couch all day, are you?"

A dry snort escaped the ghost, "There are three hundred channels on this thing. Watch me."

…

Danny was angry. It wasn't the normal kind of rage either. It was a mimicry to the emotion of abandonment. It had been two weeks and Vlad hadn't even bothered to contact him. To make matters worse, he had no one to talk to and the loneliness was making itself known. Not even that strange Rodger Smith character, that _apparently_ was on a new case involving a guy who had fallen into a huge vat of sporks, was around. Not even the sane character, Thomas; he had gone on vacation to Alaska, photographing the wildlife that lived in the frozen tundra.

The teenager sighed, shoulders sagging as he walked pass a little girl who ran away screaming 'needle' in the hall. Normally, he might have found it hilarious to watch the pediatrician chase after his young patient. Instead, the boy's eye merely twitched at the _irritating_ volume her voice had taken on.

He was really starting to hate this place! It was like a prison and every morning he'd wake up and ask if he had any visitors. Unfortunately, his only possible visitor was Vlad or his English teacher … unless a spirit decided to kick up trouble.

The teenager stalled at the realization, a sadness forming in his eyes as he accepted the truth: he missed Moneybags.

"Stupid moneybags jerk," whispered Danny in disgust as he walked past a female nurse and a male intern with an eye patch, the two giving him an odd look since this was the third time he had wandered past the couple blindly.

Thoughts drowned in a collection of old rivalries and recent kindnesses left the teenager at ill ease and soon Danny's feet led him to a random destination where the couple wasn't staring.

Danny immediately squinted as soon as his feet stepped outside and into the sunlight. '_The sunlight; it burns_' was Danny's expression as he walked through the hospital gardens with his hand shading his eyes. He stood there a moment, his eyes shifting over the décor. The weeping willows were whispering to him through the chilly morning air. He took in a deep breath through his nose and flopped beneath the trees on a stone bench, clutching his robes a little closer. He then shifted his gaze downward, his bangs praying to the grass.

"Hi Danny."

Danny twitched at the voice and was about to glare at whomever had spoken to him, but held his tongue when he looked up and noticed Dr. Webking.

His anger immediately drained. After all, it wasn't wise to threaten one's doctor.

"Oh … Hi. What's up?"

The doctor sat on the bench beside him with a thump and pulled his jacket a little closer to his flesh. He sat there a moment hoping the child would speak. When nothing came, he looked at the woe filled teenager and filled the silence. "What's up, huh? Well I thought I'd ask you the same."

"What do you mean?" asked the teenager feeling the sorrow in his heart settle into the pit of his stomach. It was a feeling that he was still getting use to. It happened whenever anyone talked to him in that soft tone. It was like they pitied him, trying to get him to open up about his feelings. Personally, he hated his feelings. Why wouldn't his sorrows go away … along with all its bringers?

"Nurses know everything, my dear boy. They told me that you have been wandering aimlessly and biting off peoples' heads like a viper." The doctor forced a smile, which fit oddly under his whiskers, "Do you want to talk?"

"Not … really," said Danny with a shrug.

"Oh, come now," laughed the doctor, feeling those Physiology courses kicking in, "I won't bite."

Danny fidgeted in his stone seat for a moment, feeling the rough surface nip at the fabric of the clothes he was wearing, "Well, it's about my … situation."

"Situation?" questioned Dr. Webking as he ran his fingers through his whiskers as if thinking about what the child had just said.

"I'm scared of what is to come of me," Danny shook slightly in the cold; he didn't know if it was from the morning chill or from his quick admittance of his problems. Was he really that desperate for human interaction? "I'm afraid that Vlad has abandoned me."

The teenager almost choked on his next words, "I'm not going to the orphanage home, am I?"

The good doctor was still for a moment, his old eyes wandering over the saddened child's face. Danny was really hurting inside, desperate even. Apparently, Danny had very few close contacts in his life, but the ones he did have were major mental supporters. Without them, and no one to replace that void, he was quickly falling apart.

The doctor smiled sadly at the thought, glad he could cure something besides wounds. He knew full well who Danny was trying to fill the void with.

"A few days ago you acted like you would have rather been sent to an orphanage then go with Masters," the doctor continued in a gentler tone, noticing the child's worry. "Besides, do you know how hard it was for Masters to sign those papers? A single man doesn't make a life altering decision like adoption in two days, but Vlad did. I doubt he would invest so much emotion on something he was just going to throw away."

Danny and Webking both sat there in silence for a moment, the wind blowing between them. Then, before the conversation could continue, the doctor's beeper went off. Webking's mouth murmured something like 'sporks' as he stared at the small screen before he rose to his feet and gave a regretful grin.

"I got to go, kid, but we'll continue this conversation later if you want," said the chubby man with a wave as he made his way towards the hospital doors, worried about his own troubles.

Danny just pouted as he watched his doctor leave, feeling put out. Part of him wanted to have a fit and demand someone talk to him … but then the anger returned and a glare formed in his eyes. "Is everyone crazy here or am I in a coma with a really bad nightmare that I can't escape! There is no way this hell is really happening to me!"

"A coma would be nice. No worries for the half dead," whispered a voice into his ear, cold air taunting an earlobe.

Danny jumped to his feet with a surprised gasp, turning around on fighter's instinct. His eyes darted back and forth in a panicked manner as he tried to identify the owner of the voice. His eyes suddenly found their target and his hands became fists. There, within the branches of a weeping willow sat the winged eye.

"Oh, it's you," murmured the child remembering the thing's mocking tone from their earlier meeting. Yet, despite the fact that the creature was trying to keep things from him, Danny asked, "Who or what are you?"

The weeping willow's branches floated around in the wind like hair of a goddess for a minute or two before the small creature answered, "All you need to know of me is that I go by the name of Gibgit."

The eyeball waited for Danny's reaction. When none came, he glided down from the wispy branches and landed on Danny's shoulder like a weightless parrot, its eyelid becoming a slit as if it were smiling.

"What are you doing here?" asked Danny as he ignored the impulse to pet the eyeball as it curled into his day coat. It was like the thing was a glorified pet trying to slip its way into a new master's heart. Not that his heart felt very giving right now.

Gibgit's purple iris focused on Danny's pale brow trying to ignore the fact that the child had gone stiff below him, "Because."

"_Because? _That's not a very good answer," said Danny with a sad tone as he turned his attention to the whispering branches.

"Does one need a reason to make new friends?" inquired the small being as he dug into the collar of the half-ling's coat a little more, stealing a little heat.

"Lair," Danny's voice had reached a whisper. He had a heavy heart and it would not pass. _Friends_. How he missed Sam and Tucker's presence, even their irritating characteristics. Right now he'd even listen to Sam's goth poetry just to hear the soft grating of her voice.

The eyeball sulked for a moment as if Danny's sorrow had seeped through his skin and into the other, "Don't be sad, young one. Things will get better."

Danny hid his face in his sleeve as he wiped away his tears. The thought of Sam and Tucker made him want to fall into sobs. He didn't even want to count how many times he thought about crying in a day, "Will they really?"

The human doubted it, but a small part wanted to hear _yes_ anyway.

He wasn't disappointed.

"Yes. I and Mr. Masters are proof enough," cooed the eyeball with a jolly tone as he brushed one of his wings almost lovingly over the back of Danny's head.

"If he is supposed to make every thing better then why did he just leave? He didn't say good-bye or anything. He acted like I was contagious."

"Maybe he couldn't bring himself to say goodbye. Goodbyes can mean forever and sometimes can be painful to say to people we care for," said Gibgit, his tone becoming a gentle whisper.

"He doesn't care for me? He's always hated me!" Danny's voice had taken on an enraged tone though he had to admit that Vlad had taken on some rather strange characteristics before he left. Like the apology for one, but that didn't make up for all the agony Masters had put him through as Danny Phantom.

"There is a thin line between love and hate," whispered the eye as the leaves danced mercilessly in the wind as if responding to the truth in Gibgit's words.

…

"Poor little girl," cried Skulker as he wiped away his tears, Vlad merely sniffing haplessly in the couch's corner cushion with a box of Kleenexes at his side, unable to speak.

"What you watchin?" asked the Dairy King as he floated into the room carrying a wheel of cheese. It had been a busy day and he was trying to find a new place to stash his cheese.

"Extreme Makeover: The Home Edition," whimpered Skulker. "Kleenex?"

"I still don't know how we got to this channel. Weren't we supposed to be watching _Poltergeist_ or something?" said Vlad as he gladly took another tissue. "And shouldn't we be checking on the movers and decorators' work? It's been nearly half a day since you barked an order at them."

"You are right," said Skulker as he looked at the digital watch on his wrist. "I should go yell at them at least a little bit. Come, let's go see what I've decided to do with the whelp's cage, I mean room."

Master's, rising to his feet, quickly followed after the badly disguised ghost, part of his mind noting that a box for a book shelf was being dragged out to the dumpster by a mover. It seemed Skulker was preparing well. Not that he expected less of the hunter. He did think of Skulker as a second in command of sorts.

Humming to himself, the millionaire spoke his thoughts aloud, "Skulker? Do you know what grade Danny is even in? It hasn't occurred to me until now, but should I have him home schooled at first to keep an eye on him or should I be worried about social contact given his mental status?"

Tilting his own head in thought, the steps seeming to go on forever because the boy's room likely was on the third floor, the hunter grumbled, "How would I know? I observed his habits more than what classes he was skipping. Also, you're his godfather, not me, so really the choice is yours. I still think he would make a better rug than pawn, Vladimir."

"What about his hobbies? His favorite food? The date of his birthday?" said Vlad as he ignored Skulker's comment. All he could think about recently was the broken boy in the rain, the vision of Danny Phantom slowly becoming more and more complicate as mixed feelings of worry replaced hate. "I don't know anything about him, do I?"

Skulker was silent for a moment. He hated it when Vlad talked to himself. Besides, it was not as if Danny was a china doll… or was that how all parents act?

"Don't worry. You have plenty of time to figure those things out," Skulker simply said with a grin as he stalled next to an open twin set of doors. "Now let's see if they can follow orders. I don't keep animals often, but even I think the welp will adapt well to confinement."

Stepping into the room, observing it with a clinical eye, the millionaire murmured, "But Daniel is coming here in less than a week. How can I not know anything personal about him?"

"Even better…. That way you won't have to waste a lot of time thinking about it. You can ask Danny personally," Skulker grinned as he took in his design choices. He hadn't given the real decorators a lot of demands but he could certainly see where his influence was. "And don't worry so much. The half-a is under your thumb now. What's the worst that could happen? I doubt he's going to keel over dead."

…

"Master? Master! Where are you?" cried Gibgit as flew into the men's bathroom, looking under each stall, having finally escaped Danny's grip. It seemed that he had become the kid's new pet. Danny had even snuck him into the hospital and into his room just for some extra company. Gibgit had loved the attention, he really did, but he would always only have one Master.

"Quiet! … I'm in here Gibgit."

The eye flew over to the last stall and asked simply, "Are you decent?"

"Yes! Now get in here before someone sees you!" growled Smith from within the stall.

The eyeball flew over the stall wall and gasped, trying to cover his eye with his wing. Smith was perched on the stool.

"Master! You said you were decent!" Gibgit quickly closed his huge eye and did a suicide dive onto the bathroom floor since it was hard to stay afloat with only one wing.

"Fool! I just needed a quiet place to think and read the newspaper, a place from peering eyes. Besides, my pants are up," grumbled Smith as the man resisted the urge to crush the small creature underfoot.

"Oh… I didn't notice," said the eyeball stupidly as it opened up its huge eye.

"You're a giant eyeball. How could you not notice?" Smith sighed at the stupidity of his minion and continued talking in a calm whisper. "Have you noticed anything strange about the boy? Need for blood? Fire Hazard? Oprah obsession?"

"No sir. He's just depressed, I'd say. I have been able to infiltrate his trust and friendship though. It should make it easier to watch him now," whispered the eyeball with a squeal of joy as Smith nodded his head. Gibgit then discussed in full detail what Danny had said to him, Smith silently skimming the newspaper the whole time. Finally, the eyeball got irritated with being ignored and asked Smith, "Master? What are you looking for?"

"Signs …. That fire hazard is up to something, but I haven't seen anything unusual. No death or destruction, except the Fenton family that is. But what confuses me the most is why he let Danny live. One thing is for certain Gibgit, that boy is the answer."

…

Two days had passed quickly enough, the world seeming to become warm again. Danny's room was almost done and Gibgit seemed content with a scratch behind his wing … and yet the scars were still there and seemed intent on letting themselves be known. Especially when Danny suddenly awoke from his slumber with a _scream, _the late night silence disturbed. He was quickly pulling his injured arm close, biting back a sudden sharp pain. It felt like flames were biting at his flesh all over again.

A grim reminder.

"God… why… won't… these… pains…. STOP!" cried the teenager as he doubled over in pain, curling into a ball under his covers.

Slowly, the pain subsided and Danny's breath slowly calmed and returned to normal. "Good … it's over… Why are these pains getting worse?"

Danny lifted up his shaking body, feeling the muscle tense up in his back. He still felt uneasy and put a hand over his mouth, trying to keep his stomach from turning. When the calm of his stomach returned, Danny decided to get some painkillers from the pretty nurse who worked night shift. The covers were quickly thrown to the side and his feet slowly landed on the cold flooring. He took two steps from his bed and then a thousand fire hot needles pierced the flesh of his back, crushing his spinal cord with unimaginable pain. The teenager collapsed onto the floor in a huddle, his flesh make a cold smacking noise on the cold tiling, the boy whimpering slightly because he was unable to scream.

Feeling the tremors of pain run up his spine and lodge into the back of skull, Danny managed to whisper through gaping breaths, "Please stop…..Please stop!"

And it did, just as a set of shoes appeared before him, the world fading into pain.

And yet, darkness's sweet void did not last forever. The teenager awoke in his bed what felt like days later, his mouth dry. His arm burned like holy fire, yet the rest of his body felt unusually numb. His eyes burned and stung, but with much persistence he finally managed to open his eyes and peer out at the world. There Vlad sat loosely on a chair beside the bed, his head was tilted in a defeated manner and his shoulders were slumped heavily. His white hair hung loosely, concealing his face entirely. He didn't move or make a sound, not even the sound of breathing.

Danny almost laughed at the sight, thinking that Vlad only appeared when he was in pain, but quickly found … he could not make a sound. His lips couldn't even move.

Out of panic Danny tried to sit up to see if maybe his lips had been sewn shut, but he couldn't even get a finger to twitch! None of his muscles were reacting to his commands. This was bad.

Trying not to panic, Danny continued to struggle against his limpness until his arm started to burn menacingly. Then it came. The same nerve crushing pain that ran up the arm earlier. The boy was finally able to move though, only to give into pain's cruel kiss. A blood-curtailing cry ran out as the youth dug his now mobile nails into his injured arm, causing blood to trickle forth undoubtedly. Vlad jumped to his feet at the sound, the force causing the fallen chair to splinter as it fell. Standing still only long enough to take in the scene, the exhausted man leaned over Danny's bed railings trying to speak to him, but Danny didn't hear a word.

One more pain staking cry escape the youth's throat instead and then he was huddling in agony under his covers again. The episode gone as quickly as it had came, his breathing broken and shaky as he waited for the pain to subside.

Vlad slowly took a sickened step back by what he had just seen. He had had his jet fly here in a few hours after he got the call of Daniel's collapse merely to watch this? This would be the third attack Danny had since he had arrived, but this time the medication didn't hold and Danny woke up to feel the full extent of his suffering. God this was horrible! Why were these attacks even happening? Things had been going so well with Daniel and the castle and now … this.

Sighing in worry, Vlad slowly leaned down to eye level with Danny whose face now lay hidden in the shadows of his blankets. With great ease Vlad pushed the covers away from the half-a's face and peered into Danny's distant eyes. They were layered in fresh tears along with a sense of fear and dread. It stung Vlad's cold heart more than any mortal wound imaginable. He found his fatherly characteristics taking over, Maddie soft voice echoing in his head as he pulled the whimpering boy into a hug, mindful of the injured arm.

Danny did not press him away and Vlad sighed, thankful for that. A thousand heartbeats seemed to pass as Vlad murmured to the still shaking boy, "I hit the nurse's button. They will be here in a moment to give you more pain medication. Just remain calm and breath."

A hiccup escaped the other half-ghost as Danny choked, "Wh-what happened? I thought I was healing. I'm not healing, am I? I'm dying, aren't I!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Daniel. Everything will be _fine_. I'm here and so is Dr. Webking… You'll be just fine," Vlad said more to calm his inner worries then Danny's because he wasn't sure if Danny was fine. After all, the first attack had just struck out of the blue and the new attacks just didn't make sense. He was gone for a few days and this happens. What is going on here!

A moment later Dr. Webking stormed in with a needle in hand, a sturdy nurse stomping behind him ready to hold Danny still long enough to give him the shot. Luckily the attack was over and his assistance was no longer needed, but the male nurse's expression was still dark as he turned to leave the doctor to his work … and an angry parent.

"What happened! I thought you said the attacks were supposed to stop!" barked Vlad. "He obviously is not better!"

"But he did wake up. That is a good sign, Mr. Masters," said the plump doctor as he headed over to the readings.

Vlad's tone was almost a whisper as he pulled Danny into a little tighter grasp, trying to calm the boy's violent shudders. "You said the medication would last longer. He was in pain."

The aging doctor took a deep breath and removed the plastic cover over the needle he had dragged in, the man eying the tip, "How bad was it?"

"It was quick but it seemed just as bad as the others," said the millionaire with a grim tone.

The doctor sighed at that, but he was prepared for bad news. Just another oddity to the boy that was Danny Fenton. He could only speculate that there had to be some type of chemical in the fire.

With stiff limbs, he quickly walked up beside Vlad with the needle. Vlad nearly drew away, but remained still when the healer growled, "Hold him please. I told you we are still waiting for the results. You must recall a body is like a house, Masters. The smallest thing can cause so many problems and then again it might be a big problem that everyone has merely overlooked…"

XXX

Paw07: We had a blizzard. Snow day, freezing toes, and no work! Not bad for one blizzard if you ask me! To bad the electricity was out for two day, forcing me to have family time! Luckily my laptops battery was charged or I might of die. Really… I might have died. So that is why the chapter is so long.

**Edit:** I swear I deleted three or four pages worth of content in this and rewrote the first half of the chapter. This chapter was a mess. Ugh, it was painful to go over and the title was ghastly. It used to be called 'Redecoration of the Soul'. Well, that title was done for at the beginning of the edit. Anyway, sorry for the slight choppiness but I didn't want to break this into multiple chapters. It would have messed with past review labels. Anyway, to the next chapter. Hopefully it isn't as bad as this one was.

**(Revisions August 2013)**


	9. Dark Dreams

Chapter 9: Dark Dreams

Vlad had curled up on the visitor's chair by the window, his hair glaring softly in the moonlight. His eyes where closed and his breathing was calm. He looked peaceful and it was a strange look for the millionaire. So much so that one might have mistaken him for a heavenly being with the way moonlight was reflecting off him.

Danny stood in the middle of his hospital room looking at the floor. He had to make sure he didn't step into the moonlight. His toes hung dimly on the borderline as he watched from the darkness, wondering why Vlad hadn't woken up yet.

"Vlad," he whispered, his voice echoing over the walls and through the hospital halls. No one was around, the hospital still as if Danny and Vlad were currently the only beings in the residence. Danny swallowed as a sense of panic wallowed up in his throat. He wanted to run over to Vlad and wake him up! … But he couldn't step into the light.

He didn't know why he couldn't. He just knew he _shouldn't_.

Danny continued to look longingly at the moonlight and the figure lain within it. He took a silent step forward allowing his toes to be washed in the moonlight … and then a soft giggle came from behind him. The teenager quickly pulled his foot out of the ghostly light and peered over at the door. A small little girl, no older than five with jasmine red hair, hid in the shallow shadows of the door way. Her huge glassy eyes stared at him with such intensity that Danny wanted to look away.

"Who are you?" Danny's voice hung heavily in the air.

The small child merely giggled as she disappeared into the hall unable to shake off her ghostly charm. Despite himself … Danny quickly followed.

Her soft footsteps filled the silent halls as she tracked past the empty waiting rooms and nurses' offices. It was so deafly quiet that Danny started to become unnerved. Out of desperation he took the small child's hand when she offered it to him.

Smiling his touch, she looked up at him with her huge ghostly eyes and stated in a soft breath, "Childish as usual Danny."

Danny almost drew away from her, but she held tightly to his hand.

"How did you know my name?" the boy asked wearily.

"The question is how could I _forget_?" she then pulled gently on his arm and led him forward.

Soon they emerged within what could only be the morgue, time seeming to skip as Danny looked around confused wondering how he had gotten here. Swallowing, he figured he had bigger problems as he felt the chill of death crawl up his spine. He stalled in his tracks wanting to look around, but his form seemed to be paralyzed. He couldn't move on his own!

The girl looked up at him with a frown when she noticed how stiff he was. Sighing, as if it was merely a minor nuisance, she yanked roughly on Danny's arm and forced him to stand before one of the stainless steel morgue tables. A glossy black body bag lay lifelessly upon it. The orange tag labeling the body bag grimly reflected his father's name: Jack Fenton. Danny swallowed and tilted his eyes down upon the little girl with a begging glance. What was he suppose to do? He couldn't even move on his own!

"Open it … Sometimes we must face what we can't accept," whispered the girl as she let go of Danny's hand, his form almost stumbling as he reestablished the ability to move on his own.

Rubbing his wrist, a part of him knowing his stiffness had been the red-head's fault, he turned his attention to the body bag. He really didn't want to open anything and yet he knew he had to. And he had to do this alone… No one could help him.

Standing over the bag, hand floating over its smooth blackness for what felt like an eternity, Danny could no longer take the red head's waver-less gaze. His hands shook violently as he put his fingers on the zipper. Giving a meek tug, the zipper came down with far too much ease and he found his eyes snapping shut. And yet, before his eyes closed, he caught sight of the burnt figure. Jack's lower jaw had burned away into nothing and the skin of the chest had been charred to the bone. And yet, wanting to see his father if even for a moment, Danny reopened his eyes … to find nothing but an empty body bag.

Despite the disappearance, a sigh of relief escaped Danny's throat, but then his gaze fell upon the next body bag on the next table: Maddie Fenton.

Not wanting to be led by the strange little red head, the teenager's body shook violently as he walked over to that body bag. His hand wasn't as shaky this time, but he still closed his eyes imagining the worst: his mother's pale face burned away to nothing and her red locks scorched black. But when he opened his eyes there was once again … nothing. Swallowing, almost disappointed, Danny truly recalled how much he missed her. She might have been a bit crazy, but she was his mother. She was the one who held him when he was scared or lonely.

She had loved him like no other.

Next was Sam, a cold aching occurred in his heart. Remembering her grating voice and soft hands was the most painful thing he could imagine. He had been gathering the courage for the past three months to ask Sam out on a date, but now that option was beyond him.

Trying to push back the tears blurring his vision, Danny pulled the zipper down with his eyes closed again. Her perfect face still held its uncanning beauty, but her hair had burned away to the scalp as if her entire back had been burned away. Wiping away tears at the thought, when he opened his eyes … again there was nothing. A sick part of himself was half wishing that she was there, if only to touch her cold flesh one more time.

Next was his best friend in the world: Tucker. Tucker the computer geek. Tucker the weirdo. Tucker … the most wonderful friend in the entire world. Danny swallowed roughly as a choking pain tried to escape his throat. The zipper cried in protest as Danny's eyes dimmed, his vision blurred by tears. In his mind, Tucker's glasses were burnt and blackened, and his chocolate skin had taken on a blacker tint, but yet again there was nothing in the body bag.

Enraged that he couldn't even look at Tucker, Danny stormed to the next table with the next body bag. The tag stated: Jazz Fenton. So this was the bag for his kind yet a bit over-protective sister. Hands shaking in rage, Danny pulled the zipper down without a hint of uncertainty. But there was something in the body bag. It was a …

"A ribbon?"

"Oh! I've been looking for that!" cooed the little red head as she ran over taking the item before she tied said ribbon into her glossy hair. "Okay … I'm bored. Let's go."

The child then quickly skipped away and out of the swinging door that bore the word 'morgue'. Danny could hear her soft humming slowly fade away as she moved farther and farther down the hall.

Not wanting to be left behind he quickly stormed after her, but when he faced the morgue door a soft electric humming caught his ear.

ZZZZ … zzzith

Beside himself, Danny slowly turned and looked for the sound's origin. In the far corner, lost in a misty haze, was a ceiling lamp that flickered unsteadily. One last body bag hung in its gloom.

Ignoring the feeling in his gut, Danny silently made his way to the far corner of the room. And soon the teenager looked down on the immobile object. A combination of fear and dread bit down on his nerves when he saw that there was no tag. He slowly grabbed the zipper and pulled it down, expecting to find nothing or at most another hair garment … but no. There it lay. Correction, there he lay, a fleshy corpse pale with death. Its skin had gained a yellow clammy glow and its hair was limp and lifeless. Danny couldn't help but whimper as he stared at his lifeless copy ... a dead clone of himself.

Sorrow over came his heart and his fingers were silently reached forward. He wanted to touch this dead copy … this death. And though he knew he shouldn't, his warm fingers soon laid upon the dead flesh of the cheek and then over the eyelids. The figure was cold as a winter eve. Was this a sign? Was he truly meant to die? Or was he already dead? Had everything up to this point been a flash before his eyes? An earthly flash before death? Had he really died with his family?

Danny stared at the flesh before him … unable to tell what truth was and what was a dream or what was reality. Touching his corpse's cheek once more Danny slowly started to zip up the body bag though he had to stall long enough to stare at the corpse's face. It had the same brow, the same lips, the same everything. It was him.

Sighing, not knowing what else to do, he started to zip it back up.

"Wait… I'm not done with you yet."

Danny jumped back with a choked scream at the voice, the corpse having just parted its blue lips to speak! The frightened teenager took a step back in fright only to crash into the table behind him. The lifeless copy merely grinned at this as it lifted itself out of the body bag. The corpse then landed on the floor in a hunched position; perfectly concealing it's face behind a wall of black hair. Danny could only stare at the grotesque figure with fear as he slid backwards against the metal table, backing himself into a corner quite effectively.

The corpse's smile widened at this as it stood up straight and then with too-quick limbs he was suddenly placing an arm on either side of Danny's head, trapping him against the wall. Danny could only stare at the corpse with a silent terror, unable to scream or even move.

"Where are you going? Leaving so soon?" the corpse spoke in a harsh scratchy manner as its shark like teeth glimmered in the fading light. "You can't leave. It's not polite and … I won't let you."

The corpse's left hand quickly wrapped around Danny's neck, holding the teenager still. Then with a small laugh the corpse's free hand began to change: _mutate_. The nails slowly started to grow and expand into six-inch long daggers of flesh. Its eyes widened with excitement as it seemed to ready itself to scoop out Danny's heart… "Good bye."

"_Danny?"_

Danny suddenly fell to the ground in a huddle, his heart intact and the corpse no longer above him. He coughed as he struggled for breath, his mind racing. Why wasn't he dead?

With shaking breaths Danny lifted his head looking around in a slight panic for his would-be murderer, but the corpse was gone. The only other occupant of the room was the small little girl with red hair and ghostly eyes. Her voice almost made him cry in joy.

"What are you doing in here silly? It's unwise to linger in the dead's playground."

Danny slowly nodded at her with a sigh of relief. Then, with a huff, the half ghost stood trying to encourage his brain that it was all an illusion or something.

Noticing the boy's shaking nature, the child took his hand once again and led him out of the morgue, a hum in her throat. And despite the fear of being frozen, Danny did not let go of his small savior's hand.

…

The two seemed to have walked around the empty corridors for hours until the tiny girl's humming came to a halt. She stopped and then stared at the shadows in front of them … at the waiting room to be exact.

"What? Is it the corpse?" ask Danny, his voice cracking as his spare hand came to rest on his throat.

The red head looked at him for a moment and then turned her attention to the chair in front of them, static playing silently over the small waiting room, casting an eerie light. In the television's soft glare, Danny couldn't help but noticed that on top of a waiting room chair sat an ancient looking box the size of a jewelry box. It looked like something that belonged in a Greek museum. Its surface was delicately carved in gold and a shiny black stone. Greek symbols skillfully adored the lid as it glimmered in the faint light. Despite his worry about the morgue, Danny found himself letting go of the red head's hand as he walked over to it, mesmerized. With daring fingers he even found himself reaching outward ready to open up the glossy lid, but the ghostly girl slapped his hand to the side at seemingly the last moment.

"I wouldn't if I were you," she hissed.

And yet, before Danny could ask her why not, a dinging noise filled the eerily quiet hospital. Ding … Ding … Ding: the strike of midnight. The town's impersonation of Big Ben was calling.

"I'd hate to say it, but in the words of Cinderella: _I'm sorry. I must to go. Goodbye!_" whispered the girl as she stumbled onto a waiting room chair and pecked Danny softly on the cheek; she looked at him one more time with her ghostly eyes before she whispered, "Love you … baby brother."

"… Jazz?" choked Danny as he took a step back out of shock, memories of old pictures coming to mind.

The red head merely giggled, jumped off the chair and stormed down the hall without answer. Danny could only stare at her fading form with a shocked expression. Was that really his sister? Maybe he was already dead after all.

"It doesn't matter. I am not letting her go this time," growled Danny in a determined tone, his bare feet soon following the little girl.

But she was seemingly gone. He had been looking for her for about twenty minutes, but Danny still couldn't give up on the search. Every fiber of his being seemed to rest on two questions. Was that really Jazz? If so, was he really dead? Danny shook off his worry and stormed down the next hall. He had to find her.

_Giggle_…

Danny turned around violently, ready to race after the sound, but there was no need. There, not even two yards away, stood the girl.

"Jazz?" whimpered the teenager feeling the hunger of sorrow well up in his chest. The child merely giggled in reply before she ran into a nearby room.

Danny took a hurried step forward and Bam! His feet fell forward from under him and with a huff he fell onto his back. Danny sat up quickly with a groan praying that it wasn't sporks again. The hospital seemed to be infested with a prankster obsessed with sporks. Luckily, it wasn't sporks, but something equally intriguing.

"A book?" whispered Danny was he picked up said item with ease and stared at the golden titling… _mythology_? Intrigued, he tilted the book to catch the title in a different light. Why was this book here?

_Giggle_…

Danny jumped remembering his earlier pursuit. He got to his feet with stumbling speed and started after the innocent laughter, leaving the book behind.

Her laugh led him back … back into that haunting room. He stared at the moonlight that still softly glared off his godfather's sleeping form. From behind Vlad's chair came a giggle and out popped the head of his _supposed_ sister. Her soft red hair floated gracefully on the moonlight, yet the teenager found his fear of the moonlight only intensified.

A minute or two quickly passed before little Jazz stuck her head back behind the comfy chair, Vlad still snoozed softly. Only after gathering what little courage he had left, Danny stepped into the moonlight … and nothing happened. Courage restored, Danny took the next few steps forward trying to choke down the fear in his stomach. The teenager's shadow soon loomed over his godfather and Danny slowly reached forward ready to wake the sleeping millionaire. But instead of waking the man, a pale-fleshed hand intercepted and wrapped its cold fingers around Danny's wrist. Before Danny could even gasp, a form rose from the shadows.

It was the corpse.

Breath catching, ready to grab at his only protector in the world, Danny barely had time to choke as a hand was slammed into his chest, the force throwing him several feet backwards!

Danny flew across the room with a gasp and landed with a thud against the neighboring wall. A few bones cracked in protest, but through gathering tears of pain Danny was able to look up. It was definitely his dead copy. Its cold waxy flesh was even glinting dully in the fading light as it stalked toward him.

Panicking, the teenager tried to lift his beaten body up to escape the beast, but he was too slow and a deep part of him knew he couldn't _go ghost_. With a snap, the corpse had once again wrapped its cold dead fingers around Danny's neck, cutting off his breathing. Kicking his feet out, the teenager struggled for a single breath as the corpse's copycat fingers transformed into daggers once more. The beast then lifted his elbow up and targeted Danny's heart. A high-pitched laugh quickly floated past the corpse's shark like teeth and with sickening precision … it plunged the daggers into Danny's chest.

A splash of crimson spread over the floor in a river of blood in an instant as it seeped away from Danny's gaping wound. Blood dripped from the monster's face like dark tears as he watched Danny's last flailing moment. Then, as Danny's last few breaths struggled forward, the corpse leaned forward and kissed Danny's forehead, wiping Danny's bangs out of face as his murderer slowly stood up. Danny's cry was a gurgling noise in his throat as the corpse pulled its sharpened digits out of the teenager's rib cage. His bones cracked and broke under the touch as his lungs stalled their life giving force… His body was dieing.

_Ba Bum … the heart beat once._

The corpse's flesh peeled away in a burst of flames, revealing the monster that had taken his family!

_Ba Bum … the heart beat twice._

The creature's cold black eyes then turned on the Jazz imposter and Vlad.

_Ba Bum … the heart beat three times._

The creature laughed as he gave Danny a dark grin throwing a hail of fire at them. The two were barely allowed to scream out in agony before their flesh was burned away and their lungs suffocated by smoke.

_Ba Ba Bum … and the heart beat no more._

XXX

Paw07: Bwahhh! You all hate me don't you? I can hear you crying, "No! That bitch just killed off Danny!" Well, you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to see what happens. Later. … And if you're confused, this chapter will totally make sense once I publish the next one. Plus, this chapter is _big_ on the foreshadowing.

PS: You know the only good thing about living in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest? Snow days! No school for eleven days people and no work either! Bwahhhh! But I also didn't have electricity for two days. No running water or television! Oh the humanity! But to keep my mind from sinking into utter insanity I wrote this chapter. So some good came of it. Thanks for the reviews.

**Edit**: This chapter used to be called 'I Dream of Sugar Plum Fairies' but I changed it because I don't think it foreshadowed what this chapter was really about. As for the edits, the chapter remained pretty intact except I added about seven-hundred words worth of supporting descriptions and flowing vocabulary. This one was an easy proofread and now I recall why I loved the horror in this story so much. To the next chapter!

**(Revisions September 2013)**


	10. On the Brink of Insanity

Chapter 10: On the Brink of Insanity

Danny woke up with a whimper, his spine going stiff as his arm ached in agony, matching the beat of his heart. It was another attack, but this one was dull and tingling … nowhere near as painful as the others. It was still painful, but Danny was glad for it since it woke him from that horrible nightmare! At least he hoped it was a dream. The teenager ran his fingers over his chest feeling for the gapping wound, but nothing was there. He sighed deeply as his heart started to calm … until he heard a ghostly whisper, "_Danny_."

He sat up straight, forgetting the ache in his arm.

Praying that he was hearing things and that maybe it was just his imagination or another nightmare, he whispered to himself, "I'm just hearing things."

"_Danny_," the whisper called out again as raindrops knocked against the windowpane.

The blankets were quickly drawn closer as the teenager's eyes widened with fear. He searched the darkness glaring at every shadow that jumped in the frail light. A shadow finally leaped out taking the form of a demon-like being. Danny's eyes were drawn closed as he frantically whispered, "This is all a dream! Just a dream! A dream … a dream … a dream!"

The whispers halted and the teenager's eyes opened, fearing the worst. Nothing. It had merely been a trick of the shadows … or maybe it was those crappy meds that were presently stuck in his arm by an IV. Danny glared at the needle with distaste before he reached for the lamp on the night post. Its light would certainly chase away the shadows and the fear in his heart.

And yet, before he could even touch the light switch … it called out again.

"Danny …" the whispered voice choked out as a dark hand rose up from under the bed, grabbing the teenager by the wrist in order to stall the light. Before Danny could even scream out in protest, the hand gave a violent tug, pulling the ailing boy down onto the floor while ripping out his IV.

A dry scream filled the room as Danny struggled against his blankets to see what had grabbed him, the feel of blood dripping down his arm. He struggled violently as he felt the figure sit down beside him as if trying to assist him.

The figure quickly gave up though when Danny tried to kick him or her, its voice squeaky and strangely familiar, like an old memory, "Jeez Danny. When did you get so jumpy?"

Soon the blankets were removed by the neighboring body and Danny's eyes filled with tears at the mere sight of the figure sitting next to him on the floor, his vision blurring. It couldn't be. It just couldn't. He was still in the nightmare, wasn't he?

"Tucker?"

"In the flesh… well sort of," said his dead friend as he ran his hand through Danny's nightstand, his features obviously ghostly.

Danny wiped the hot tears from his eyes and looked over his friend. Tucker's clothes were charred and wrinkled, his hair was ruffled, and his glasses were cracked and blackened. He had a burnt look all about him which reflected his violent death.

Noticing Danny's penetrating gaze, the dead teenager took off his glasses and tried to rub off the charcoal soot as if to improve his look a little.

"Are you a ghost Tucker?" asked Danny as he tried to wipe the blood from his arm. He didn't care much for IVs but then again the medicine in that line might be the only thing letting him seeing Tucker … because the other might just be a hallucination.

Tucker quickly steered away from the question and directed his attention towards Danny arm. He didn't want Danny to know what he had _become_. Ghost wasn't quite the right term, but he didn't have the heart to correct the other.

"Are you sick? Is that why you're in the hospital … or is this the loony bin? I always figured you'd go mad."

Danny wiped the blood from his arm again, but it just kept bleeding so he merely ignored it as he murmured, "It's my arm… it's painful. It causes these attacks and …"

Danny looked up at his dead friend and a thought struck him. Why hadn't he been able to save his best friend? The truth hit him hard as well as dark inner thoughts.

"I'm weak!" Danny's voice took on an angry tone, "I can't even go ghost for that matter avenge my family! … Or you … Or Sam."

His eyes dropped to the floor in shame as he pulled his knees into his chest, burying his head in them. The teenager whimpered softly remembering his own stupidity as his hands came up and dug in his hair.

Tucker clutched at his non-beating heart. Seeing the person he had admired most broken like this hurt his non-beating heart deeply. Danny was always so strong and ready to put up a fight. Half of him used to envy his best friend, hate him at times. Now he just pitied him, and here he was the one who should be pitied … after all, he was the real dead guy in the room.

Regardless, he was still the voice of reason so he had to push away the silence and he also had to warn the other, "Danny, I'm sorry I left you alone … but I have to tell you something important."

"I don't need your log in information Tucker," whined Danny, thinking Tucker had one last geek thing that needed to be done.

"It's not that … all my accounts were on a timer anyway. I actually came to warn you," said Tucker, a tone of urgency in his voice which caused Danny to raise his head in question. "I … I think the demon and your illness are linked somehow. The place where that thing touched you, your arm that is, I think it's … cursed. I came back to warn you."

Danny's eyes drew away from Tucker and glared at the raindrops hitting the windowpane. He squeezed his arm tightly and whispered, "I'm not surprised… My life from the point it touched me has been cursed! Every step I take, every turn, I can't get a break! I just can't get a break…"

Danny's head lazily fell to the side as his eyes glazed over, his words a tired whisper, "A break … just one little break."

Well, there was one break. With his powers gone there was no way he was going to turn into Dan. Not that he was ever going to tell anyone about that … Everyone probably thought he was mad the way it was.

"A break? Well I wish I could give you one… but I have to ask," Tucker swallowed feeling guilt rise in his gut, but he _had_ to ask. "What happened to him?"

"Who?" said the dazed teenager as leaned heavily into the shadows of his bed, rubbing his blood between his fingers. It kind of felt like freedom to bleed. That warm sticky liquid was the only clue that he was alive.

"The monster … that killed me? What do you think happened to him? Do you remember?" said Tucker as he watched Danny's eyes widen as they lost their glazed, calm look.

"Remember?" whispered Danny as the demon flashed before his eyes, a hatred that had been festering in his heart suddenly reared its ugly head. "He _killed_ everyone and got away! He took everything!"

Danny was soon to his feet and screaming, throwing a lamp across the room. Said lamp landed true and crashed through the window allowing the storm in, the raining pouring in as the mad-boy barked, "Tucker! How dare you make me remember him! I never want to remember!"

Danny pushed the nightstand over causing a violent crash as his rampage continued, his first real rampage at that, "Can't you understand that I want to forget! And why would you want to recall that? I-Isn't it some kind of urban legend that if you recall how you die … you disappear?"

Danny's voice lost its anger and instead picked up a calm insanity, a grim smile pulling on his face as he hiccupped, "… Well you can't leave! I will forget! I'll become a spoiled rich brat and live the rest of my life as a pathetic good for nothing! Or maybe if I'm lucky this damn arm will kill me!"

Tears dripped down Danny's cheek as he struggled for breath. The death of his family kept flashing before his eyes, crushing his very soul. And those eyes … that damn monster's black glistening eyes! Those eyes would forever haunt him.

Danny's voice quickly become a whisper, the dream still pressing into the back of his mind, "Tucker? Why did you _everyone_ leave? Leave me all alone? … _I want to hate you. I want to hate them. I want to hate every single one of you_…"

Standing there like a lifeless puppet for what felt like an eternity, Danny finished his fit by grabbing his IV stand and throwing it out the window, making the whole bigger and letting the rain in … the tears of the earth.

"… _but the only person I really hate is myself."_

"DANNY!" came a yell as Vlad slid into the room, his eyes wandering as if he had expected another attack and not the real mess before him. Danny was bleeding, the room was a wreck, rain was pouring in and Danny's eyes just gleamed with madness before he turned his head as if looking beneath his bed … then, as if noticing something had gone missing, he started … laughing.

The millionaire jumped at this, a hand going over his heart in a mixture of surprise and distress. He was still having trouble taking in the scene and the sleep deprivation of late was not helping his mind. He could not deal with a mentally unstable half-a. It was a wonder Danny hadn't transformed yet and flown away.

Not knowing what else to do, Vlad straightened his spine and quickly stepped up to the boy. Then, hands wavering only for a moment, he placed two hands on the thin frame's shoulders only to nearly be punched in the face as the teenager pushed the other away … his laughter turning into half screams as he started pulling at his hair.

Taking a step back in fear at the newest development, Vlad was quite sure he'd rather take on Fright Knight on his home turf then deal with this … and yet he found he couldn't let go. So he did the only thing he could … he rang the nurse's button.

Finally, what felt like an eternity later, a lone night nurse ran in and nearly slipped on the rain-drenched floor. The middle aged and worn looking woman eyed the scene before she came forward and tried to assist the struggling millionaire.

"What's happened in here?" she asked as she squinted against a sudden burst of rain, the cold liquid temporarily blinding her.

"I – don't – know," growled Vlad as he struggled to dodge on of Danny's kicks that was aimed for a shin, the boy had nearly crawled out the window a moment earlier as he called out for someone. "I just came in and Danny was screaming bloody murder. Bloody … ugh … _fruit basket_!"

Vlad released his struggling charge with a soft curse when Danny finally managed to get a good kick in, the teenager squirming away like a wet rat. Not that he went far. Instead of heading for the broken window again he tripped over to his bed as if looking for something. Then, eyes wide, he started to crawl under the bed only to stop as if he finally realized whatever he was looking for wasn't there either. Standing up, the teenager gave the open doorway an obsessive gaze, his intentions obvious. He was going to run again.

Not wanting the boy out in the rain so he could merely get sick again, Vlad limped and half dashed to the nearby bed, cursing the boy under his breath. He needed a way to restrain the other without hurting him. Turning into Plasmius would be so much easier, but witnesses could be so troublesome.

"He might be having a reaction to his medication. Don't let him leave the room. Use the blankets," said the nurse as she slid in front of the open door, blocking the teenager's only exit. She didn't want to get security involved quite yet especially when this wasn't Danny's usual behavior. She had walked passed his room many times at night and he had always seemed so well behaved.

Masters obediently ripped the blankets off the nearby bed and with speed that a practiced man would note odd for a business man, he threw the blanket over the teenager and wrapped it around Danny's limbs, constricting him. His words were clearly a demand, "Danny, _calm down_! Snap out of it!"

Danny screamed once more and then stopped struggling, giving way to tears once more as he confessed his inner hatred, "I … just don't want to remember."

Sighing, understanding why the boy was upset. The man slowly released the blanket and allowed it to rest on the teenager's shoulder as he placed a calming hand on the youth's shoulder as he slowly led the panicked half-a to his bed, waving off the nurse to get help as he asked calmly, "Little badger, what happened? What was that breakdown over? The lamp certainly never hand that coming … What do you not want to remember?"

Hating the older man for being his only comfort but at the same time glad for his calm support, Danny's breath became rapid and uneven as he struggled to find something to say. He wanted to say something, anything to explain his behavior, but he couldn't even form a word. The only sound that could escape him was a whimper. The whole recollection of the fire was passing over him in such grotesque detail he wanted to empty his stomach on his elder's shoes. Somehow though he had managed to withhold the memories until now, but his walls were breaking down with the visit of ghost/hallucination Tucker.

His friend's visit was a grim reminder of what he had lost.

Vlad withdrew slightly fearing the worst. Had Danny finally snapped? Perhaps the memories of the past few weeks were two much for him.

"Daniel, what happened?" said Vlad as he tried to speak calmly thinking his composed voice would pull the teenager out of this downward spiral. "Take your time … deep breaths."

Danny threw his head into his hands. He took two more deep breaths before he was able to speak in a shaky voice, "Tucker was here and he asked me … to remember … I can't _remember_! I don't want to!"

"Tucker?" An image of the techno-geek flashed before him and the millionaire spoke with caution. " … You're friend who died in the fire?"

"Yes! That one!" cried Tucker from the corner, which almost made Danny burst into tears of joy. Tucker wasn't gone! And yet … Vlad didn't seem to notice the outburst. He hadn't even seemed to notice the other was there. Not that Danny got to question it as Tucker's next words stole his attention.

"Danny? Why is the fruit loop here?"

Turning his head, speaking to the corner Tucker was floating in, Danny spoke not even noticing the horrified expression on Vlad's face, "He's my … um … godfather. I guess."

Tucker floated there for a moment, looking like he had just choked on his own tongue, "You got to be kidding me! A guy is dead for a few short weeks and the world goes crazy."

"Yeah … I know," whispered the teenager as he pulled his blanket up to his chin, still ignorant of the stricken expression on his caretaker's face.

Vlad's muscles tightened with distress as he watched Danny have a conversation with his dead friend. Now, it wasn't the conversation material that bothered him … The only problem was that no one was there! Ghost or otherwise. Vlad swallowed roughly and tried to keep calm even though a deep part of him was panicking. What if Danny's mind was failing him? Could he live with a child like that or would he hide him away in a hospital … much like Vlad's own youth. Though madness seemed harder to cure then acme.

Trying to keep his hands from shaking, Vlad placed a stiff hand on Daniel's shoulder and turned the boy towards him slightly as he spoke, "Daniel … who are you talking to?"

"Tucker," hissed Danny as he glared at his best friend.

Vlad's brow only wrinkled in distress.

Noticing the other's stiff reaction, Danny came to a quick conclusion."Can't you see him? He's right there! He's sitting in that chair. He says that I have to change my last name to Masters now."

The bachelor looked in the direction that Danny had specified half wishing Tucker was really sitting there, but the chair was empty. Swallowing, hoping this all was an after effect of medication, he said in a soft voice, "Daniel … there's no one there."

Danny glared at Tucker who was looking at the floor, ignoring his gaze.

"What do you mean? Tucker is right there! He's ..." Vlad's expression said it all when Danny met the older half-a's gaze, his throat going dry as he whispered, "There's no one there … is there?"

"No, there isn't," said Vlad simply as he put a hand on Danny's shoulder, somewhat glad that the teenager wasn't completely gone. "Why don't you lie down and rest Daniel. I think you are having a hallucination because of the medication. I'm going to quickly find the night doctor. Just … stay here."

Vlad was then to his feet and though it seemed like he was keeping a calm pace as he left, Danny couldn't help but hear the steps quicken to a near run after the elder man had cleared the room.

Sighing, feeling tired, Daniel risked a glance at his best friend as he whispered, "Are you a figment of my imagination?"

"Maybe?" said Tucker as he relaxed in the chair, not detoured by his unmasking as some kind of figment.

"Are you a cause of my medication?" said Danny, tears prickling in the corner of his eyes.

"Perhaps," said Tucker almost mockingly.

"Tucker!" barked Danny in irritation as he rose to his feet only to quickly sit back down as his arm tingled in complaint. He didn't need that kind of attack right now.

The rain made itself known once more as the wind suddenly picked up, billowing the currents in a haunting manner as Tucker's smile slowly disappeared. The serious expression was a bit uncommon for Tucker's young if slightly charred face, the dead teenager's voice no longer seeming young as he spoke, "Listen Danny. I'm sorry I made you angry and made you look like someone that needs Prozac, but I've given you the warning I came for … and now I have to go. _He_ only gave me so much time."

Then, as if on cue, Tucker's form started to become misty. The teenager giving a mournful smile as even his voice started to fade as well, "I'm sorry Danny … but I promise I will see again. Someday."

"What! You're leaving? No, no! Please don't go… I'm sorry," said Danny desperately as he rose to his feet once more, forgetting his arm.

"You were a good friend … keep safe," Tucker's voice was a whisper at this point, his form mostly mist. Then, in a flash, a globe of violet light was hanging in the place where Tucker had been. It was the size of a golf ball and whispers hung about it like it was a haunted thing. Then, before Danny could even think about reaching out and touching it, the thing flew out of the room and out the window as if in a panic.

And all Danny could do was watch as it rushed away, wishing he would have said more.

…

Elsewhere, Smith sat in the dark recesses of his office listening to the rain pound against the roof. A small golden box with Greek symbolism on it rested on his lap. His manicured nails tapped on the lid once … twice … and then three times. A burst of light filled the room a moment later as a small violet orb flew into the room carrying a chorus of whispers behind it. It circled around the room twice and then came to rest an inch above the golden box.

Smith smiled at its entrance and spoke to the orb softly, "Did you enjoy your freedom my little spirit?"

Whispers rang from the orb in a heavenly chorus as it jumped about the box almost excitedly.

"I see," said the lawyer as a sad smile spread across his lips. "Now tell me what he told you."

A hundred whispers erupted from the golf ball sized orb all at once. Smith closed his eyes catching and understanding every voice. Only once the whispers had ceased did his golden eyes open, the man glaring down at the box.

"Very good my little rift. Now into the box with you," chimed Smith as he opened the ghostly box, an unearthly wail escaping it. The orb's whispers quickly became distressed as it tried to fly away, but an unknown wind sucked the poor little orb inside with a screech.

Surprisingly, Smith's smile was gone, his voice almost woeful, "Sorry little one. I can't have you turning like the others. The box is the best place for you. Who knows when I will need you again."

…

Dr. Webking looked over the sleeping teenager as Vlad sat in a corner chair, tapping his finger in a most irritating fashion.

Tap ... Tap ... Tap … Tap

The doctor stalled in his work to glare at the other. His nerves were on end. He had come into work three hours early because Masters wouldn't leave the night shift alone until he was called and still the man seemed discontent! Never satisfied that man was.

Whirling around, throwing a glare that would make a drunk sit still when getting stitches, the doctor growled at the millionaire, "Will you stop that! God, it's irritating."

Vlad was at first shocked by the doctor's strange outrage, it was unlike him, but then decided he didn't care.

"Apologies … for making you do your job. Are you or are you not Daniel's physician?" Vlad said in a rather sarcastic manner as he went to tapping his foot instead.

"Don't get smart with me boy," grumbled the doctor as he turned the lamp off by Danny's new nightstand (he had predictably gotten a new room). He then stalked over towards the bachelor and stuck his pudgy face into the other's. "If you ever … I mean ever … wake me up over a nightmare again you'll live to regret it…"

"A nightmare?" said Vlad as he pushed the doctor's threat away as if it were nothing. "What does that ….?" The confusion in Vlad's face disappeared in an instant. "He had that hissy fit over a damn dream? For Pete's sake, I thought he had gone crazy. He frightened me something awful."

The good doctor let a throaty laugh escape him despite Vlad's previous behavior as he murmured in an exhausted tone, "I doubt it was intentional … from what the nurse said it appeared to be a hallucination or a dream about the fire more then likely. To tell the truth I'm surprised he hadn't had one sooner." The good doctor turned his gaze away from Danny to Vlad. "Danny's still young so he may suffer from some mental trauma or night terrors. That fit is a good example… If I were you I'd get him a psychologist to help him deal with the strain, once you get him home."

"That's a long ways away," said Vlad with a tint of irritation. He wanted to go home days ago with Daniel because, personally, he couldn't take this hospital anymore. The white everything, the disinfectant, and the bathroom stalls that smelled like old lady perfume disturbed him like old memories. He wanted to leave … but that wasn't going to happen. For all he knew the next few years would be filled with nothing but hospital visits.

"Sooner than you think, Mr. Masters," said Webking as he took a seat next to the other.

"That's what you said last time," murmured Vlad, unable to keep the impatience out of his voice.

"Well, I'm right this time… We were finally able to diagnose what's wrong with Danny. With some help from one Dr. Monroe, I have concluded that the attacks are a reaction to a chemical that entered the wound during the fire."

"Dr. Monroe? And what does he plan to do about it?" said Vlad as he ran his fingers through his hair, slicking it back, wanting nothing more than to take a shower.

The good doctor sighed softly as he leaned into his seat, "She … recommends nothing."

"What! That-that's preposterous! Danny needs something done! These attacks could be killing him!"

Placing a hand up, Webking made to plead his case, "Hear me out. Monroe said that it is uncertain what chemical infected the wound. We have no idea of knowing what experiments the Fentons were doing. Thus, proscribing the wrong medicine might kill Danny. Certain chemicals would react … the only thing she recommends is the pain medication, because it hasn't reacted."

Vlad groaned and started to rub his temples. "It still sounds like an idiotic plan. I might need to look into that theory more … but is there any other bad news today?"

"Yes …" Vlad's brow rose with distress. What else could go wrong? "You're buying me my morning cup of coffee. You did wake me up after all."

Despite himself, Vlad actually chuckled dryly in relief like the doctor had just told him a bad joke.

"I'm not joking. Now on your feet soldier, I know a perfect café that will make all our troubles go away," said the doctor as he rose to his feet, giving the other a demanding look.

"And how do they do that? Beat you in the head until you forget your own bloody name?" said Vlad with dry sarcasm.

"No, by wrapping it in bacon and syrup. Now up with you."

Vlad found he couldn't disagree with that as he rose to his feet with a slight sway, following tiredly after the other. Drowning in bacon sounded like a lovely idea right now.

…

"Butter and biscuits … that's some good coffee," purred the millionaire as he put the coffee cup to down, staring at his empty breakfast plate with a look of contentment. Webking had been absolutely right about drowning ones sorrows in food … all one needed with a healthy heart and lots and lots of bacon.

Webking chuckled at the other's response as he stirred some cream into his cup, "Glad to hear it. Mams Café is the best in town, and as much as I'd hate to disturb the peace … something's been bothering me."

"And what would that be?" said Vlad in a passive tone as the coffee warmed his innards.

"Did anyone ever ask your godson what happened in the fire? I know the cops tried to but that strange lawyer kept most of them off your back, he kept saying it was obviously an accident, but … is that the truth?"

Vlad stirred some sugar into his cup and sipped from it before answering, his mood somewhat soured but not ruined, "I did talk to the fire marshal right after I found out I was Danny's godfather. The local law enforcement wanted to ask some questions, but as the only witness was unconscious at the moment, I told them to scram. And a few days later the fire was proclaimed an accident and no one ever bothered to ask again. Still a bit odd that the officers weren't more pressing … maybe Smith is a better lawyer than I thought."

"Did he tell you anything?" asked the physician as he stared out the window pane at the local café. The streets were dead of course since it was around four in the morning.

Vlad threw his headed back with a laugh scaring both Webking and the lone waiter who was presently mopping the floor. "That boy doesn't tell me anything, except how much he hates me."

"I doubt he hates you," said the healer as he waved to the waiter who had restarted his mopping.

"Why do you say that? You've seen how aggressive he is towards me," grumbled Vlad with a frown, the man glaring at his refection in his coffee cup.

"You might be a brilliant businessman Mr. Masters … but that doesn't mean you aren't dense," quipped the doctor with a knowing grin. "You're all that boy has left and he knows it… Hell, I had a talk with him and it seems that he was worried that you weren't coming back."

Vlad stopped glaring at his ruffled reflection in his coffee and tilted his gaze up at the doctor in surprise. " … He was worried?"

"Yes, he seemed afraid that you left him alone." Webking scratched his chin and smiled. "To tell the truth, I think he's become attached to you. Not in a fatherly way yet, but I can see him adapting quite easily to having you as a father figure."

"A father figure, huh?" said Vlad softly, a supple smiling coming over his face at the thought. And for a moment … he felt a warmth in his chest towards the boy's real father because Jack had given him this opportunity and as a father himself … maybe he knew Vlad would do a good job. He still couldn't believe it was a Jack that had assign Mr. Smith, but he was glad.

He had a new dream to grasp at and he found himself admitting so out loud, "I'm glad … I'm very, very glad."

XXX

Paw07: First off. I have no idea what Vlad's age is and I don't have an internet connection to check right now, so forty-one it is. And for those of you who were confuse by the last chapter: read the title. I _dream_ of sugar plum fairies. Either way, the title really is cute compared to the content.

**Edit**: Added about 1200 words to this chapter. It took a while though. There was a lot of sloppy wording in this chapter. I also deleted about half of the last scene. It just seemed too out of character for Vlad. Surprisingly, this one got to keep its original chapter title somehow though. Later.

**(Revisions September 2013)**


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